In the space of five years, ZENDATA has gone from a Geneva-based cybersecurity firm to a strategic partner of the Gulf’s most prominent institutions. That is the story Bilan magazine came to tell when they visited our offices in the United Arab Emirates for an in-depth interview with our cofounders, Isabelle and Steven Meyer.
A threat landscape that matches the stakes
The UAE ranks among the most targeted countries in the world for cyberattacks. The numbers speak for themselves: the UAE Cybersecurity Council intercepts between 90,000 and 200,000 intrusion attempts per day, with over 70% linked to state-sponsored actors. In 2024, ransomware attacks increased by 32% year-on-year, and the financial sector experienced a 65% surge in such incidents. The Middle East now has the second highest data breach cost globally, averaging $4.88 million per incident.
Why such intense pressure? A wealthy, highly digitized country at the heart of major geopolitical tensions is a prime target. Financially motivated cybercriminals find high-value enterprises. State-sponsored groups see it as an extension of the physical battlefield. The current regional tensions have amplified this dynamic further: cyber operations now coordinate with missile and drone strikes, creating a hybrid threat of unprecedented complexity.
A proactive government, aligned values
Faced with this reality, UAE authorities have adopted a resolutely proactive stance. The National Cybersecurity Strategy 2025-2031 marks a clear turning point, shifting from voluntary compliance to mandatory resilience. The UAE Cybersecurity Council, led by HE Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, drives ambitious initiatives in awareness, regulation and organizational support, with the conviction that no one should be left unprotected in the digital space.
These values are perfectly aligned with those of ZENDATA. Since our founding in Geneva in 2012, we have held the belief that cybersecurity must be accessible to all organizations, not just large enterprises with unlimited budgets. This philosophy resonates particularly well in the Gulf, where the political will to protect the entire economic ecosystem is strong and concrete.
From Geneva to the Gulf: a strategic expansion
What started as a two-week trip to Dubai in 2021 quickly turned into a lasting presence. First offices in Dubai Internet City, then Bahrain in 2023 and Abu Dhabi in 2024. Today, ZENDATA operates the Ignyte SOC for DIFC and its 7,000 companies, works with government entities, infrastructure projects such as Etihad Rail, and sovereign wealth funds including Mubadala.
On the front lines of cyber warfare
With the ongoing conflict, the cyber dimension has taken on critical importance. As Steven Meyer details in the interview with Bilan, the most serious threats do not come from defacement attacks or denial-of-service campaigns carried out by hacktivists. They come from the collaboration between Iranian APT groups, effectively the operational arm of the Tehran government, and Russian hackers, with extremely precise coordination between physical strikes and cyber operations.
Swiss expertise serving regional resilience
The invitation extended to Isabelle Meyer by the Crown Prince of Dubai, HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, to join 300 selected leaders in brainstorming responses to the current crisis, illustrates the level of trust ZENDATA has built in the region. That trust rests on a simple principle: consistently delivering on every commitment. It is this rigor, inherited from our Swiss DNA, combined with the agility of a company that adapts quickly to the needs on the ground, that makes the difference.
The full interview (in French) is available in Bilan magazine.
