Putting your faith in your defences

Tony Lteif, CEO Security Matterz, talks to Business Management about the ever-changing face of IT security.

“More than 95 percent of companies' data is stored in a digital format and we have seen data loss prevention booming recently”
-Tony Lteif

What makes Security Matterz different to other IT solution providers in the Middle East?
Tony Lteif. Our approach is very different. We are not the traditional 'box movers' but instead we aim to develop a clear understanding of each customer's business needs and overall technical infrastructure through the eyes of a consultant, then address them with the implementation of a compliance framework and robust technical solutions which meet strategic and operational objectives. The cornerstone of our success is customer satisfaction. With this, we built strategic alliances with world class leaders in this field by offering the right balance between the 'best of breed' and the 'best of need' for our customers. All our solutions and offerings must provide a proven return on investment. Quality drives everything and is a shared responsibility and the diversity and knowledge of our people is our strength. 

How did it all begin for your company?
Security Matterz was not our first successful IT business venture.  It all started with HBO Middle East back in 1992, providing world-class healthcare information systems to the GCC market. We then went on to establish Integrated Solutions for Business (ISB) in 1998 to become a leading system integrator and e-learning provider in the Middle East. We decided to launch Security Matterz in 2007 after I spent seven years in the UK and European Security markets. From its inception, we had a clear vision and a specific objective of where we wanted it to be. IT security has traditionally been defined as 'confidentiality, integrity and availability' (CIA) and we believe that this definition has evolved and should now include the management of risk, the Maintenance of compliance standards, and the active management of policies and procedures. Concerns about general security have widened to include the need to maintain 'unified corporate governance'. With this view, we decided to address many enterprise challenges especially in the areas of security, networking and Infrastructure. 

If you could secure three items within your IT infrastructure, what would those be?
Data, data and data. It is the heart and backbone of any business. More than 95 percent of companies' data is stored in a digital format and we have seen data loss prevention booming recently along with compliance frameworks such as ISO 27001, PCI, COBIT all revolving around securing your data. 

And how is this economic crunch affecting your customers and your business?
Many organisations were affected one way or another as many countries did.  But during these times of e-crime rises, our customers must be very competitive in order to win business so they can maintain leadership. With this contrast we have seen a big demand for our services and solutions especially on compliance (ISO 27001, 9001 and 2000 ITIL) and Infrastructure monitoring, convergence and optimisation as this could maximise the benefits of most organisation's existing IT investments, reduce cost and resources and yet best of all increase security. ROI on many of those solutions are short term two to six months. There's also a huge interest in 'best practice' that's more than a national or cultural demand.

Where do you see the future of IT Security in the Middle East?
New legislations in many GCC countries are forcing organisations to change the traditional way of doing business. For instance, by enforcing PCI standards on financial institutions, this make organisations adopt best practices to achieve compliance such as ISO 27001, Basel II and so on. Such organisations are now re-engineering their IT Strategies and formulating their security positions in order to address such changes.  This is not easy especially when executives are trying to focus on their core business entities, making sure that their overall operation is profitable and efficient! This is an exciting time for Security Matterz to step in and help CEOs, CIOs and IT Directors across all sectors planning and implementing such changes and we are in a great position to do so.

Tony Lteif has 12 years' experience as an IT Security expert and has founded a number of successful companies. Previously, he served as Operations Director and Board Member at Nexus Technology London. He also co-founded Integrated Solutions for Business in 1998, a thriving IT company in the Middle East.