Mohammed Al-Moneer, Sr. Regional Director, META Region, Infoblox, and Scott Harrell, President and CEO, Infoblox, discuss regional trends in the networking and security space; investments that Infoblox is making in the region; what customers can expect from the company in the next few years; and big channel initiatives planned for the region.
Mohammed Al-Moneer, Sr. Regional Director, META Region, Infoblox
What is the significance of the new brand launch for local customers and partners in the Middle East and Africa region?
The rationale behind our new brand positioning is the fact that networking and security work better together when they share real-time visibility into application, user and device context. And real-time threat protection and more resilient network performance can only happen when networking and security work side by side.
Infoblox is uniquely positioned – we help enable NetOps and SecOps to work more efficiently by uniting their view of user context and DNS data, so everything runs faster, works better and is more secure. And uniting saves NetOps and SecOps time, by uniting real-time user and device context, eliminating critical network and security bottlenecks.
Unlocking this unparalleled visibility and control empowers customers to deliver the protection and performance they need today. We believe that security effectiveness depends on threat intelligence above all else. Using tools included in Infoblox BloxOne Threat Defence, security teams can collect, normalize and distribute highly accurate, multi-sourced threat intelligence to strengthen the entire security stack, secure DNS and boost SecOps efficiency.
Infoblox rebrand initiatives reflect confidence and business focus, shaping the company’s critical role in securing the networks of some of the world’s largest companies, appealing to both networking and security professionals alike.
A new brand launch can have a significant impact on local customers and partners in regions like the Middle East and Africa, as we weave a story around how our company is making the transition to a new world of protective services. We believe that the launch will increase awareness of our brand, create new business opportunities and improve the customer experience.
What do you see as some of the regional trends in the networking and security space?
Below are some of the key trends that we see in the MEA region:
- Focus on Cybersecurity
- Adoption of Multi-cloud strategies
- Leading the way in NetOps and SecOps collaboration
Here’s what we are seeing in more detail:
- Increased focus on cybersecurity: As cyberattacks are increasing in frequency and sophistication, companies in the Middle East and Africa are increasingly investing in cybersecurity measures to protect their networks and sensitive data. Spending on security solutions and services in the MEA region, including Israel, is expected to increase by 7.9% YoY in 2023, reaching $6.2 billion, according to the latest Worldwide Security Spending Guide from the International Data Corporation (IDC).
Within the cybersecurity domain, there will be increased Zero Trust adoption. Zero-Trust architectures have become a means for modern enterprise and government institutions to secure sensitive data in the face of Digital Transformation and the loss of the traditional network perimeter, as we move to borderless network architectures. And we will no doubt witness an increasing adoption in the MEA market by enterprises this year and beyond.
- Adoption of cloud-managed networking: Companies are increasingly relying on Software-defined Wide Area Networking (SD-WAN), virtualisation and other cloud-based networking solutions. Cloud-managed networking provides the visibility, management and scale needed to operate today’s distributed cloud and on-premises network, security and location infrastructure.
- Collaboration between NetOps and SecOps:
Over the past nine years of operating in this region, we have observed a growing trend among various industries in bringing their networking and security teams together to achieve a more comprehensive and unified approach to securing their core network services, such as DNS and DHCP. In the financial industry, we have witnessed the largest banks and financial institutions in the GCC adopting a more collaborative approach between their networking and security teams to mitigate the growing threat of cyberattacks.
Similarly, in the healthcare industry, hospitals are also implementing this approach to ensure the security and privacy of patient data. We have also seen a similar trend in large enterprises across industries such as technology, retail and manufacturing, where they are increasingly moving towards a more integrated approach between their networking and security teams.
While we have worked with several global customers who have successfully integrated their networking and security teams, we cannot disclose their names due to confidentiality agreements. However, we can share industry-specific case studies that demonstrate the benefits of this approach and its effectiveness in improving network security and performance.
Can you talk about Infoblox’s regional growth in the Middle East and Africa market. What are key drivers for the business?
Infoblox has made a significant investment across the META region with the idea of building out its presence in multiple countries, with offices in Saudi, UAE, Egypt, Kenya, South Africa, Morocco and Turkey. Infoblox has been expanding its operations in META over the past few years, as the region’s Digital Transformation initiatives have increased demand for network automation and security solutions. The company serves customers across various industries, including telecommunications, finance, healthcare, education and government.
Some of the key drivers for Infoblox’s business in META include:
- Increasing demand for uniting network and security together – As more organisations in the region move their operations online, the need for network and security to work together became paramount. Our solutions help both, network and security teams to protect networks from cyberthreats, including malware, ransomware and phishing attacks.
- Growing adoption of cloud-based services: Many organisations in the region are embracing cloud-based services to improve operational efficiency and reduce costs. Infoblox offers cloud-based DNS and IPAM solutions that help manage and secure these cloud-based networks.
- Strong partner program: Infoblox’s innovative partner program has been launched to play an instrumental role in meeting the growing demand for network and security solutions. By bringing together Network & Security teams, our partners are better equipped to position Infoblox’s core technology value and deliver comprehensive solutions to customers. With our solutions, customers can achieve real-time visibility and control over their networks, enabling them to build safer and more resilient environments. Infoblox is committed to working closely with our partners to help organisations in all industries meet their network and security needs.
What are some of the investments that Infoblox is making in the region?
Our company’s training programs, mentorship initiatives and collaborations with academic institutions are aimed at equipping the region’s talent with the necessary skills and knowledge to tackle today’s networking and cybersecurity challenges effectively. We believe that investing in regional talent is crucial to the success of our customers and it is a responsibility that we take seriously. At Infoblox, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive work environment that nurtures and empowers our employees to deliver value to our customers. By investing in regional talent, we are not only contributing to the development of our employees, but also to the growth and prosperity of the communities we operate in.
What can customers in MEA expect from Infoblox in the next four to five years?
Below are our main priorities for the region:
- Continued investment in cloud-based network security: Infoblox will continue to invest in developing cloud-based solutions to help customers secure their networks and data. This could include offerings like cloud-based DDI (DNS, DHCP and IP address management) and security services that provide visibility and threat detection across hybrid cloud environments.
- Expansion of network automation capabilities: Automation is a key focus area for Infoblox and customers in the MEA region can expect to see more automation features added to its solutions.
- Greater emphasis on user experience: Infoblox is likely to continue focusing on improving the user experience of its products, with a particular emphasis on making its solutions easier to use and more intuitive.
Are there any big channel initiatives planned for the region?
A big focus when it comes to the channel is on our recently launched ‘Skilled to Secure’ partner program which reflects the changing security landscape and shifting customer requirements – and the need for providers of security solutions and services to adapt in response.
We have been heavily investing in our talented and experienced channel teams and I am proud to say that we currently have industry-leading channel executives across the region who are really able to transform the way we engage with our partners. We lay heavy emphasis on knowledge and skills development of our channel and we deliver a broad range of training programs. One of our key priorities is building out our channel ecosystem through recruitment of partners that share our vision, ideology and passion. And we find a great amount of interest from new channel companies interested in joining our program, largely based on the fact that they see huge market potential for our solutions and services. We also have a robust program – Expert Club, for our top performing partners, to incentivize them as they drive growth for our company.
Scott Harrell, President and CEO, Infoblox
Can you give us an overview of the evolution of the Infoblox brand and the new positioning of the company.
We’ve unveiled a new brand, including a fresh brand identity and story that reflects where Infoblox is as a business today and where we are heading in the future. Our mission is to simplify and unite networking and security. This comes for us at such a critical time, as the industry at large faces increased cybersecurity threats and breaches at an all time high. We envision a future where networking and security unite to power a world that never stops.
We have grown a strong brand over the past 23 years; A brand that has stayed very consistent. Over those two decades, we have earned our place as the global market leader in enterprise DNS management and we’re known and trusted by 10’s of thousands of network professionals. But that brand is tied to our history and falls short of capturing how we’ve evolved and where we are going as a company. Because we’ve been so focused on product innovation and our security solutions have evolved greatly, we felt now was the natural time for us to unveil a new brand that resonates with both, networking and security professionals alike.
When you have deep roots and are a market leader that is known for something, it takes a conscious effort to evolve. Our goal is to make sure the industry and our customers and partners understand the hidden opportunities they have to better secure their networks to improve performance and protection – and they know we are innovating along with them.
Infoblox is the only company that can provide real-time visibility and control over who and what connects across networks and multi-cloud environments to help customers build safer, more resilient environments. By bringing NetOps and SecOps teams together with shared visibility, data context, automation and control, they can prevent malware communications and pinpoint the source of threats, taking the performance and protection to new heights.
We understand that you are a big advocate of the ‘as a service’ movement. Do you see organisations globally pivoting to this IT consumption model, especially in the networking and security domain and why?
Yes, As-a-Service is critical to help simplify and accelerate the adoption of new technology.
With the rise of multi-cloud, hybrid work, IoT/OT and AI the application, user and device environment is becoming much more complex and dynamic. Providing solutions in ‘As-a-Service’ consumption models allows IT to be agile and get rapid time-to-value (TTV). It also enables them to flex how much they consume based on their changing needs.
Using an As-a-Service solution like Infoblox’s BloxOne platform allows for easy integration – and can help customers with a multitude of services that can deliver unique outcomes like the bringing together of Networking and Security. With Infoblox’s BloxOne Threat Defence solution, customers are protected with best of breed DNS security. By adding real-time visibility into application, user and device context with BloxOne DDI, Infoblox can enable SecOps teams to investigate and remediate incidents more efficiently and accurately.
DNS is being increasingly targeted by cybercriminals. As a company that is leading innovation in DNS security, what do organisations need to do to combat threats to their DNS infrastructure?
Protect and monitor your DNS – it’s so critical to your security posture. DNS is the only detection method that is ubiquitous. It is the first thing all users and devices use to connect to any resource and it is the first thing most malware use to initiate a breach. If you aren’t working with us today, I’ll give you a few reasons why you should.
Firstly, we all know that cyberattacks have become more sophisticated and staying on top of evolving threats is a constant challenge. Robust and accurate threat intelligence that has broad coverage is absolutely key to stopping attacks early and minimising risk.
Here’s a prime example why: On Thursday, April 13 Infoblox was the first to find and share a critical security threat communicating with Russian C2 that is selectively targeting many organisations worldwide – and it was going undetected. We broke this intel via a post on Mastodon and one of our first priorities was to notify our customers/partners of this threat. We flagged six domains and urged the industry to block these immediately.
The Threat Intelligence Group at Infoblox is dedicated to creating high fidelity “block-and-forget” domain name service (DNS) intelligence data for use in BloxOne Threat Defence. Our Threat Intelligence Group uses a patented Machine Learning algorithm to minimise the risk of enterprise outages while enabling maximum coverage of threats. Because we are focused on DNS and infrastructure actors, we can identify suspicious behaviour before its impact is known by the adjacent areas of the industry (endpoint, netflow vendors) and we can track persistent actors to block their DNS infrastructure before it becomes a problem for our customers.
Core to our protection strategy is the identification of suspicious domains. Threat actors often register domains well in advance of using them for attacks, typically 14-120 days in advance, but we have seen domains held dormant for upwards of two years. Infoblox identifies suspicious domains through several custom-built algorithms and DNS based threat hunting.
No other vendor provides customers the ability to configure their own set of domains for customised lookalike threat protection, while also identifying and protecting them from lookalike domains to popular products and services.
In response to this increased threat actor activity, Infoblox developed technology specifically to identify suspicious and malicious lookalikes, including the emerging multi-factor authentication (MFA) targeted attacks. Infoblox now provides additional lookalike defences including those targeting MFA. These state-of-the-art attacks break the protective shield companies have come to rely on to protect their internal networks. Additionally, refined algorithms and user experience, allow Infoblox to identify suspicious and phishing lookalikes to customer-chosen monitored domains. This affords protection against spear phishing and brand abuse with alerts for suspicious activity that is tailored to their needs.
What do you see as the primary drivers of Infoblox’s business globally?
Businesses today are increasingly adopting hybrid and multi-cloud environments to stay competitive, creating additional complexity and expanding attack surfaces. With accelerating adoption of multi-cloud, hybrid work, IoT/OT and other transformations, protecting critical assets has become more complex than ever before.
Beyond what Mohammed has outlined in the regional view of market drivers, I’d add the two following points:
- Uniting SecOps & NetOps – Recent industry reports reveal the growing need for consistent network visibility and automation, requiring co-ordination across SecOps and NetOps for optimised network performance. A single pane of glass to provide visibility and control to who and what is connecting to their networks is an important market need.
- DNS Detection and Response – In today’s cyber climate, security teams are under tremendous pressure to protect more with less. As XDR has been defined to encompass Endpoint (EDR), Network (NDR) and other technologies, the realisation that DNS provides unique security visibility and protection that is not being addressed by traditional security solutions has become apparent. DNS has largely been ignored from traditional security solutions and not seen as a possible threat vector that attackers can leverage. This has led to the evolution of attack techniques that utilise DNS as a way to infiltrate a network, expand without detection and exfiltrate data. The need for DNS as a detection and response solution as part of a Detection and Response strategy gives us an incredible opportunity to shore up a gap not covered in the current XDR approach. Something we know that will greatly enhance every organisation’s security posture, without adding yet another security tool: every network in the world has DNS and converting it to a DNS Detection and Response capability is extremely simple and every device in the network already communicates with DNS before any other activity.
