All types of Internet users, from large corporations to single individuals in Dubai, have to face a growing number of security threats, ranging from spam, to phishing and virus infections. This is something that security software provider Sophos has noticed all over the world, but in the case of the United Arab Emirates, it could lead to an increase in security investments.

Justin Doo, Managing Director of Trend Micro Middle East and North Africa, comments: "Criminals are keeping pace with technology and becoming more ambitious in selecting targets. Increasingly, they are trying to target the specific individuals within a business who can provide access to lucrative financial details and log-in credentials across the whole organization."

The simple truth of the matter is that the IT security in the region is booming, and consequently it attracts a growing number of investors. According to market research company IDC, in 2009 the total amount of money spent on ICT security will surpass the $9 million mark.

The IT security situation in the United Arab Emirates will be analyzed at the end of October at the Gitex Technology Week conference. A large number of companies, such as Alcatel, Avaya, Bluecoat, Cisco Linksys, D-Link, Mitel, SecureWay, Sonic Wall, Symantec and Trend Micro have already announced their participation.

Helal Saeed Almarri is the Director General of the Dubai World Trade Centre, the place where the conference will take place and according to him this is a great opportunity for top IT security specialists to analyze the concrete situation in the Middle East. "Security is becoming a bigger concern for companies and individual users as the level of threats increases and the range of methods to breach security becomes more sophisticated. Because Gitex Technology Week brings together a critical mass of international security experts, we aim to use the event to focus upon the specific challenges facing the region," he says as cited by MENAFN.