Omantel, the leading provider of integrated telecommunication services in the Sultanate of Oman, hosted the UK Oman Digital Hub pilot program to give Omantel Innovation Labs startups access to advanced sessions on cyber security awareness, protection against supply chain risks, developing a cyber security “culture” and testing new solutions.
The five-week pilot program, supported by the UK Oman Digital Hub, was delivered by innovation companies Plexal and Al Jabr to startups at Omantel Innovation Labs, a key player within the local startup ecosystem.
The program also included peer-to-peer collaboration on security challenges, mentoring sessions with cyber experts, knowledge sharing by founders of startups and action plans for securing a business.
The program, which began in February 2023 at the Omantel Innovation Labs, comprised multiple workshops conducted by experts including Amjad Beainy, co-founder and CTO at Octopus CyberSecurity and Maitham Al Lawati, CEO of PowerDMARC, as well as speakers from the United Kingdom, including Stacey Lidgate, director of business development at Cysiam, and Trevor Graham, CEO and co-founder of Ampliphae.
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The deep dive sessions were part of a wider program called “Cyber Oman,” sponsored by the British Embassy in Muscat, which aims to support the development of a cyber-resilient ecosystem and a community with strong cyber security skills.
HH Al Sayyida Ghada Al Said, senior manager at Omantel Innovation Labs, said, “It was a pleasure to work with the UK Oman Digital Hub to allow our startups to have this level of access to expert cyber security advice and insights.”
Meanwhile, Jessica Hern, senior program manager at the British Embassy in Muscat for the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), said, “We are delighted to work with Omantel Innovations Labs on the first pilot of the Cyber Oman ‘Secure’ program, which aims to enhance Omani startups’ cyber security knowledge and give them the skills to ensure their infrastructure can respond to cyber threats. We look forward to continuing our work with our partners like Omantel to build on the foundation that was laid during the first deep dive sessions.”
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