Saudi Arabia’s premier mobility event, Global EV and Mobility Technology Forum, will open its doors to global and regional mobility stakeholders at Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center from July 10-11. The show will host a conference and expo featuring an outstanding speaker lineup, delivering insightful keynotes, and world-class exhibitors, unveiling their sustainable urban mobility solutions and innovations to a global audience.

The two-day event will mark a significant step toward a greener and more efficient future for urban transportation, bringing together international policymakers, institutions, NGOs, corporations, companies, and startups to network, showcase latest offerings, foster dialogue and collaboration.

The event will serve as an ideal ground for global visionaries to share industry insights and groundbreaking ideas, and facilitate the transfer of knowledge about an all electric, autonomous and connected future. Notable figures who will be present at the show include Rusty Russell, executive director of mobility, Red Sea Global; Faisal Sultan, vice president and managing director, Lucid; Mark Notkin, chief innovation officer and head of Electromin, Petromin Corporation; Mohammed Al-Musawa, head of e-mobility, ASX E-Mobility; Alex Gilbert, head of energy and electrification, commercial development, Transport for London; and Balázs Selmeci, ambassador of Hungary to Saudi Arabia; along with other influential personalities.

The world-class expo — the main highlight of the forum — will provide an unrivaled opportunity for OEMs, mobility pioneers, tech solution providers and startups, to showcase their cutting-edge solutions and breakthrough innovations in front of industry leaders, government dignitaries, and potential partners eager to explore the future of mobility.

Some of the organizations attending the show include ElaadNL, Charging Interface Initiative, Avee, Clean Energy Business Council, ASX E-Mobility, Circular Economy Company, Eye of Riyadh, GearsME, Arab News, Electrive, Eye of Dubai, and Motory.

The GEMTECH Forum promises to provide a dynamic event experience to all participants by facilitating interactive panel sessions, critical deliberations, one-on-one business meetings, and startup pitch programs, creating unparalleled networking opportunities with thousands of global and national stakeholders in the mobility sector. Over the course of two days, this premier event will unite visionary leaders and industry pioneers to explore cutting-edge innovations and drive the future of mobility. Attendees will have a unique opportunity to connect with global ministries, CEOs, and experts, exchanging ideas and strategies to shape the next generation of electric vehicles and mobility solutions.

Fortinet, a global cybersecurity company, released its 2024 Cloud Security Report, which provides critical insights into the current trends driving cloud security. It focuses on the key challenges that organizations face in safeguarding complex cloud environments and offers a thorough examination of security solutions and strategies to ensure effective protection of data and systems.

“As Saudi Arabia steadily progresses toward digital transformation and increasingly relies on cloud computing solutions to achieve the goals of Vision 2030, the importance of securing these cloud environments is becoming even more apparent, and is now a top priority for organizations in the region,” said Sami Alshwairakh, senior director for Saudi Arabia at Fortinet.

“The 2024 Cloud Security Report underscores the challenges and best practices that Saudi businesses must address to ensure the security and compliance of their cloud-based operations.”

The report, based on a comprehensive survey of 927 cybersecurity professionals worldwide, offers valuable guidance for Saudi organizations seeking to adopt cloud computing technologies safely and efficiently.

“The release of this report underscores Fortinet’s commitment to supporting Saudi Arabia’s digital transformation journey by offering advanced security solutions that help organizations protect their cloud environments and enhance their cybersecurity capabilities,” the company said in a statement.

According to the report, 78 percent of organizations globally are adopting hybrid and multi-cloud strategies. These organizations prefer integrating multi-deployment operations into a single operational environment to leverage the flexibility, control, and unique advantages offered by various cloud services.

The report indicates that 43 percent of these organizations prefer hybrid infrastructure that combines both public and private cloud platforms. Meanwhile, 35 percent are adopting a multi-cloud strategy, reflecting a preference for leveraging the strengths of different cloud service providers to meet various use cases. These global trends align with the Saudi government’s focus on supporting the adoption of cloud computing technologies and diversifying cloud service providers, which contributes to the digital transformation across all sectors in the Kingdom.

Security and compliance issues are the primary barriers to faster adoption of multi-cloud strategies, cited by 59 percent of respondents in the report. Additionally, 49 percent of participants recognize that resource limitations, including a lack of staff expertise and budget constraints, pose significant hurdles to the success of cloud initiatives.