Navigating the Cybersecurity Frontier: Insights from Fady Younes of Cisco

In an increasingly digital age, cybersecurity has emerged as a critical frontier for organizations worldwide. As businesses rush to adopt artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance their operational capabilities, they must also grapple with the complexities that accompany this technological revolution. Fady Younes, the Managing Director for Cybersecurity at Cisco Middle East, Africa, Türkiye, Romania, and CIS, is at the forefront of this dialogue. Recently, he shared his insights on Cisco’s 2025 Cybersecurity Readiness Index, shedding light on the evolving challenges and solutions in cybersecurity.

The Promise and Peril of AI

Younes describes the current landscape as pulsating with a fervent enthusiasm for AI. While the technology promises to enhance innovation and competitive advantage, he articulates a somber reality: alongside opportunity lies an expanded risk landscape. “There’s substantial hype surrounding AI, particularly in our region. Yet, the speed at which organizations are adopting AI must match their efforts to secure it,” he says. This speed creates a disconnect between understanding AI’s threats and effectively mitigating them, which could prove disastrous for unprepared organizations.

As cyber criminals also leverage AI to automate attacks, including phishing and deepfakes, enterprises find themselves in a perpetual race against time. "Attackers are leveraging AI to refine their tactics, making prevention a complex challenge," Younes notes. To address this, Cisco is committed to bridging the awareness gap through significant investments in education and upskilling initiatives.

Championing Education Through Cisco Networking Academy

A cornerstone of Cisco’s strategy is the Cisco Networking Academy, an initiative designed to cultivate a new generation of cybersecurity professionals. With the industry grappling with a severe talent shortage, estimated at around 4 million professionals globally, Younes emphasizes the Academy’s role in training individuals in AI, cybersecurity, and data science. “We’re not just responding to the talent crisis; we’re proactively addressing it by equipping people with the knowledge they need to navigate this complex landscape,” he asserts.

The Academy’s curriculum adapts to include critical topics reflective of current industry demands, ensuring that graduates are prepared to tackle modern challenges head-on. This initiative is particularly timely, given that 87% of organizations surveyed in the Cybersecurity Readiness Index recognize the lack of skilled professionals as a significant barrier to their operational success.

The Ethical Imperative of AI

As much as AI is a tool for innovation, it also raises ethical concerns that demand prioritization. “We at Cisco are deeply committed to ethical AI. It’s essential to deploy technologies in a manner that is both secure and transparent,” Younes states, outlining Cisco’s robust responsible AI framework. This framework aims to build trust while mitigating operational risks associated with AI deployment, signifying the dual responsibility of technology providers to protect against misuse.

Cisco’s approach embodies this ethos by integrating AI not only in their offensive strategies but also in defensive tactics. “Organizations cannot solely rely on human capabilities for security,” Younes reflects. Cisco’s AI Defense product, launched in January 2025, is designed to automate incident responses, allowing even less experienced staff to manage AI-driven threats effectively.

A Growing Talent Divide

Despite proactive initiatives, Younes acknowledges that closing the talent gap remains an uphill battle. The findings from the Cybersecurity Readiness Index reveal that only 30% of UAE organizations have achieved a progressive or mature cybersecurity posture. While Younes considers this figure promising, he cautions against unrealistic expectations for rapid escalation in maturity levels. “The cybersecurity landscape is inherently volatile,” he notes. "Even as companies invest significantly in new technologies, emerging threats continuously complicate their progress."

This ongoing challenge necessitates a dual approach: immediate technological intervention to support stretched security operations teams and long-term educational initiatives to cultivate new talent. Cisco’s extended detection and response (XDR) platform, bolstered by AI, is designed to alleviate some of the burdens on SecOps teams, enabling them to streamline operations and improve threat response capabilities.

The Five Pillars of Cybersecurity Readiness

As the discussion deepens around cybersecurity maturity, Younes introduces the five pillars outlined in the Cybersecurity Readiness Index: identity intelligence, machine trustworthiness, network resilience, cloud reinforcement, and the newly added AI fortification. Each pillar represents a critical area that organizations must focus on to combat evolving cyber threats effectively.

“Identity security frameworks must prioritize visibility and zero-trust architecture, encompassing both user identity and device posture,” Younes emphasizes. The push for network resilience pushes organizations beyond basic security implementations, urging them to prepare proactively for the unique challengers presented by the AI era. Concurrently, unified cloud security strategies aim to mitigate risks across diverse cloud environments, aligning security protocols regardless of where applications reside.

Conclusion: A Collective Responsibility

As the conversation concludes, Younes reiterates the importance of a collaborative approach to cybersecurity. Organizations must not only invest in technologies that enhance their security postures but also foster a culture of continuous learning and ethical responsibility. “Ultimately, the evolution of cybersecurity is a collective journey,” he says. “By preparing today’s professionals for tomorrow’s challenges, we can create a resilient cybersecurity ecosystem that not only protects our organizations but also fosters trust in technological advancement.”

In a world racing towards digitization and AI integration, insights like Younes’s are crucial for navigating the intricate dance between innovation and security. As organizations strive for progress, understanding and addressing the complexities of cybersecurity will be vital in ensuring that advancements are both secure and sustainable.