Saudi Ministry of Ed Takes IT Security Protection from IBM and Mobily

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 05/07/14

IBM and a mobile provider will be delivering IT security services to the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Education. The Ministry has chosen Etihad Etisalat (Mobily) and IBM to handle managed and cloud security services through an IBM security operations center that will be hosted in a Mobily data center.

Mobily and IBM will work with the ministry to assess its IT and data security needs and expect to use predictive analytics technology in helping the Ministry anticipate and reduce threats and breaches. The Ministry handles strategic issues related to pre-primary, elementary, intermediate and secondary schools in the country for its five million Pre-K-12 students.

"The recent increasing rate of security threats from the adoption of new and existing technologies has raised awareness for security protection and management. Through the alliance with IBM, we want to ensure the highest level of security for the Ministry...and our customers in the kingdom," said Marwan Al-Ahmadi, Mobily's chief business officer.

Among the products to be used in the implementation are IBM's QRadar security intelligence platform and X-Force Protection System. QRadar provides a unified approach for dealing with security information and event management, incident forensics and other vulnerabilities. X-Force is a managed service that continually analyzes security events on client devices around the world.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • classroom scene with students gathered around a laptop showing a virtual tour interface

    Discovery Education Announces Spring Lineup of Free Virtual Field Trips

    This Spring, Discovery Education is collaborating with partners such as Warner Bros., DC Comics, National Science Foundation, NBA, and more to present a series of free virtual field trips for K-12 students.

  • glowing padlock shape integrated into a network of interconnected neon-blue lines and digital nodes, set against a soft, blurred geometric background

    3 in 4 Administrators Expect a Security Incident to Impact Their School This Year

    In an annual survey from education identity platform Clever, 74% of administrators admitted that they believe a security incident is likely to impact their school system in the coming year. That's up from 71% who said the same last year.

  • horizontal stack of U.S. dollar bills breaking in half

    ED Abruptly Cancels ESSER Funding Extensions

    The Department of Education has moved to close the door on COVID relief funding for schools, declaring that "extending deadlines for COVID-related grants, which are in fact taxpayer funds, years after the COVID pandemic ended is not consistent with the Department’s priorities and thus not a worthwhile exercise of its discretion."

  • pattern of icons for math and reading, including a pi symbol, calculator, and open book

    HMH Launches Personalized Path Solution

    Adaptive learning company HMH has introduced HMH Personalized Path, a K-8 ELA and math product that combines intervention curriculum, adaptive practice, and assessment for students of all achievement levels.