Technology
Sep 17, 2026
Technology
Building Modern Security as Infrastructure, Governance and Design Come Together
Intersec Global will return to Dubai in January 2027 as utilities, industrial companies and major developments face a security environment in which physical systems and digital networks are increasingly connected.
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A power plant, water network or large urban development can now depend on thousands of connected systems working behind the scenes. Cameras and access controls operate alongside industrial control systems, sensors, cloud platforms and software that can influence how equipment runs. When these systems are connected, a security problem can extend beyond the IT department and into the operation of the physical asset itself. Companies are giving more attention to network architecture, engineering and governance earlier in the life of a project.
Intersec Global will return to Dubai World Trade Centre from January 12 to 14, 2027. Held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Ports and Borders Security Council, and organized by Messe Frankfurt Middle East, the event will cover national security, cybersecurity, surveillance and physical security, fire and emergency response, and safety. The 2026 edition brought together 1,180 exhibitors and 44,764 trade visitors from 151 countries, according to the organizers.
Critical infrastructure is where the change is most visible
Across essential infrastructure, a cyber incident can affect more than data or corporate systems. A report published with Microminder Cyber Security found that 73 percent of organizations across GCC critical infrastructure experienced an OT impacting breach in 2024, compared with 49 percent the previous year. Industrial control systems have become a more prominent part of security planning as utilities and other operators connect more of their operations to digital networks.
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority provides a regional example of how utilities are responding. DEWA reported that its information security efforts were protecting more than 69,500 operational technology assets and more than 1.2 million customer accounts in 2025 through a 24 hour Cyber Defence Centre. The authority said the center thwarted more than 30.4 million threats during the year and monitored more than 83,000 indicators of compromise. Its cyber resilience framework also integrates Zero Trust with its information security and cyber resilience systems.
Operational technology controls or monitors physical processes, making its security particularly important for utilities and industrial operators. A successful attack can potentially affect equipment and services rather than simply expose information, which is one reason connected operational systems are now part of broader infrastructure planning.
Saudi Aramco is dealing with a similar change within a much larger industrial operation. The company says it generated $1.8 billion in AI driven Technology Realized Value in 2024 and identified 442 AI use cases, with more than 200 solutions deployed and more than 100 additional solutions in development by late 2025. Its applications include predictive maintenance and drilling and production work, while Aramco says its systems process more than 10 billion data points each day. Through Aramco Digital, the company also provides connectivity, cybersecurity and cloud services for industrial customers.
Banking brings another version of the same issue. Emirates NBD was ranked first among 25 banks in the Middle East and Africa in the inaugural Evident AI Index for Banks, which assessed institutions across talent, innovation, leadership and transparency. Systems used for authentication, fraud detection, customer services and other functions are becoming increasingly important to how financial institutions manage technology and trust.
Major developments are bringing security into project planning
Large development projects face many of the same pressures before their buildings and infrastructure are complete. Diriyah Company signed a memorandum of understanding with the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones in 2024 to strengthen protection of its digital infrastructure. Under the agreement, Diriyah joined the federation's BugBounty platform, allowing cybersecurity researchers to identify software vulnerabilities while supporting cybersecurity training and recruitment.
Diriyah has also worked separately on fire safety and occupational health and safety, including an ISO 45001 certified management system. These areas have different requirements, but a development of this scale has to address them while buildings, infrastructure and digital systems are being planned and constructed. Security therefore becomes part of a wider set of decisions that project teams have to make before a site is operational.
Expo 2020 Dubai showed what a connected security operation can look like on a large site. Siemens said its systems linked more than 130 buildings, 5,500 doors and 15,000 cameras across the Expo site. Siveillance Control Pro was used to manage security information, while access control and other building systems were connected through the wider digital infrastructure. AI based video analysis was also used as part of the security operation.
Experience from projects of this scale shows why adding security late can create problems. Network architecture, surveillance, access controls, industrial systems and emergency functions can affect one another, and changing one part of a completed development can have consequences elsewhere. Earlier planning gives engineering and security teams more room to determine how those systems should work together.
ADNOC's investment plans show how the issue reaches into corporate governance. ADNOC has approved $150 billion in capital expenditure for 2026 through 2030 to maintain its operations and support growth, while its cybersecurity work covers operational technology, information security, business continuity and privacy. In December 2025, ADNOC announced up to $11 billion in financing for the Hail and Ghasha gas development and a separate $2 billion green financing facility for lower carbon projects. The transactions were separate, but they form part of a wider investment program in which technology, infrastructure, financing and operational security all have to be considered.
Intersec Global's 2027 program will cover security operations, cybersecurity, emergency response and technologies used to manage connected sites. Practical features will include Control Room Live and Code Zero Gridlock, a simulated city emergency focused on the decisions security teams have to make when several systems are affected at once.
Much of the work involved in protecting major infrastructure happens long before an incident occurs. A camera depends on a network, an access control system depends on software and an industrial facility can depend on digital controls to keep physical equipment operating. As these systems become more closely connected, decisions about networks, industrial controls, surveillance, access systems and emergency response can shape how an asset operates throughout its lifetime. Security therefore has to be considered alongside engineering and operations from the beginning rather than addressed after a project is already built.
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