Analysts explore security and risk trends during the company’s two-day Summit in Dubai
Information security spending by Middle East and North Africa (MENA) enterprises is projected to total US$ 3.3bn in 2025, an increase of 14% from 2024, according to the latest forecast from Gartner. Security software will remain the largest spending category in MENA, forecast to reach nearly US$ 1.5bn in 2025.
“Enhancing cyber resilience, regulatory compliance, and securing digital transformation are pivotal drivers prompting MENA chief information security officers (CISOs) to boost their security investments in 2025,” stated Shailendra Upadhyay, Senior Principal at Gartner.
“As enterprises in the MENA region drive digital transformation and integrate AI, they must focus on the cybersecurity threat landscape, protect critical infrastructure, and address insider threats to fortify their systems and enhance resilience against cyber threats,” he continued.
Enhancing cybersecurity strategies
Gartner analysts explored ways in which security and risk management leaders can enhance their cybersecurity strategies at the recently concluded Gartner Security & Risk Management Summit in Dubai.
Spending on security services is projected to grow 16.6% in 2025, representing the highest growth among all segments, driven by factors such as cost efficiency, skill shortages, and access to advanced tools and technology.
Security software spending is projected to account for nearly 45% of total information security spending in MENA, maintaining its position as the largest category for end-user spending in 2025, driven by an expanding threat landscape and increased adoption of cloud technologies.
Top cybersecurity trends
“As AI becomes integral to mainstream operations, organizations must acknowledge both the opportunities for enhanced resilience and the potential threats,” noted Sam Olyaei, Vice President, Gartner.
“Gartner predicts that by 2027, 60% of organizations will fail to embrace organizational resilience principles, leaving them vulnerable to global technology threats. Therefore, CISOs in the region should proactively prepare for complex cyberthreats by taking a collaborative approach to resilience planning,” he added.
To deliver a sustainable cybersecurity program, security leaders in MENA must prioritize two key cybersecurity trends:
Trend 1: GenAI is driving data security programs
The rise of GenAI is shifting focus to unstructured data security and preference for synthetic data over obfuscated data in training.
Trend 2: Extend the value of security behavior and culture programs
Security behavior and culture programs (SBCPs) have reached a point of inflection for most organizations.
