Saudi Arabia ranks second globally in cybersecurity index

According to the World Competitiveness Yearbook (WCY) for 2022 published by the Switzerland-based International Institute for Management Development (IMD), the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ranks second globally in the cybersecurity index.

The National Cybersecurity Authority noted that the cybersecurity system in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia seeks to enhance the competitiveness of the public sector, seize promising opportunities and keep pace with renewable changes at a manner that reflects the national ambitions in this field, pointing out that the prestigious global status in the cybersecurity index is the result of perseverance to reach unique outcomes, such as establishing the National Cybersecurity Academy, implementing advanced cyber exercises at the national level, providing initiatives that seek to enhance the competitiveness of the sector locally, and establishing promising start-ups in the cybersecurity sector according to the best international practices.

The authority also referred to the exerted efforts in building and sustaining he cybersecurity sector and developing its products that contributed to realizing this global achievement through initiatives that aim at enhancing the competitiveness of national personnel specialized in cybersecurity, represented by issuing the Saudi Cybersecurity Higher Education Framework (SCyber_Edu) to develop high-quality academic programs in the cybersecurity field, and implementing the Saudi Cybersecurity Workforce Framework (SCyWF) that is concerned with works of the cybersecurity personnel in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and carrying out around 45 cyber exercises, empowering more than 4,000 specialists in cybersecurity, and raising awareness of more than 7,200 beneficiaries at national institutions.

The authority, in its capacity as the concerned institution with cybersecurity in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the national reference for its affairs, referred to providing a supportive legislative and regulatory environment to stimulate the growth and competitiveness of the sector, publishing a series of policies and constraints, following commitment of national institutions to them, and launching a business accelerator to support the establishment of start-ups in cybersecurity under an approach that contributes to the growth and prosperity of the sector.