The next generation of portable power debuts at IFA 2026, showcasing advanced BoostSolid Cell technology and ultra-slim designs

• Engineered for up to 3x longer battery life
• Stable charging performance in temperatures ranging from 0-40°C
• Enhanced thermal management with active heat dissipation and improved cell expansion design
• TSA Carry-On Compliant for added safety and travel confidence
• Packaged in 100% plastic-free packaging
• Backed by Belkin SmartProtect and a Connected Equipment Warranty
• Rigorously tested for durability and safety, including:
  • Nail puncture resistance
  • High-temperature exposure
  • Extreme cold performance
  • Drop and impact resistance
  • Vibration testing

• 40% slimmer than other 5K power banks***
• Qi2-certified 15W magnetic wireless charging
• 20W 22.5W USB-C port for wired charging****
• Pass-through charging (7.5W wireless)
• Premium metal construction with a soft-touch finish
• LED battery status indicator
• USB-C to USB-C braided cable included

• 10,000mAh capacity in a 27% smaller design*****
• Up to 60W USB-C Power Delivery for fast charging laptops, tablets, and smartphones
• Dual USB-C ports (up to 60W single-port output; up to 30W shared output) with 40W USB-C input for faster recharging
• USB-A port supporting up to 22.5W output
• Pass-through charging up to 15W
• Smart display with real-time battery status, power output, and thermal monitoring
• Supports PD, PPS, AVS, and UFCS protocols for dynamic wattage adjustment
• Premium metal construction
• USB-C to USB-C braided cable included

Abu Dhabi,September 2026: The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi EAD has signed a Memorandum of Understanding MoU with the Suwa Falconry Preservation Society SFPS on the sidelines of the 23rd Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition ADIHEX 2026, establishing a long-term partnership to restore one of Japan’s oldest living falconry traditions and strengthen the cultural ties between Abu Dhabi and Japan.

The SFPS is the custodian of Suwa-ryū falconry, one of Japan’s oldest documented lineages, dating back to the Tokugawa Shogunate period of the 17th to 19th centuries and now carried into its 18th generation of master falconers. It preserves the tradition through an apprenticeship open to practitioners of any background. Under the MoU, and following a joint site assessment conducted in January 2026, EAD will provide support towards core infrastructure and essential repairs at the society’s 150-year-old training centre, which trains around 25 students each month.

The agreement also establishes an annual cultural exchange, under which SFPS will host young Emirati falconers each year for training in traditional Japanese falconry, alongside joint workshops, student engagement and research collaboration.

The partnership links two nations that share falconry as a defining element of their cultural identity, pairing Abu Dhabi’s decades of scientific raptor conservation with Japan’s centuries-old falconry practice.

Her Excellency Dr Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri, Secretary General of EAD, said: “Falconry is a living tradition that belongs to no single nation, it belongs to those who keep it alive. Supporting Suwa is an investment in shared values of discipline, respect for birds of prey, and the passing of knowledge between generations. Abu Dhabi and EAD have been at the forefront of raptor research and the protection of falconry for more than three decades, and through this partnership we will continue to safeguard that heritage alongside the traditions and cultures linked to it.”

Noriko Otsuka, President of the Suwa Falconry Preservation Society and 18th-generation grandmaster of the Suwa school of Japanese falconry, said: “For 150 years our society has kept this tradition alive through the dedication of each generation of falconers. This partnership with EAD safeguards the knowledge, the birds and the practice for the future, and opens a lasting exchange between two of the world’s great falconry cultures.”

Falconry runs deep in Abu Dhabi’s identity. For the people of the Arabian Peninsula, it began as a means of survival, with falconers training falcons to hunt before releasing them back to the wild at the end of each season, and over centuries it grew into an art defined by patience, by the trust between falconer and bird, and by a body of knowledge on raptor health, training and handling passed down through generations. The UAE’s Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who practised falconry from a young age, made the protection of falconry and its birds a cornerstone of the nation’s development, framing the practice as inseparable from conservation and shaping the institutions that define Emirati falconry today. Building on that legacy, the UAE went on to help lead the international effort that saw falconry inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

That cultural leadership is matched by an equally deep record in raptor conservation. For nearly thirty years, Abu Dhabi has hosted the UNEP-CMS Office in Abu Dhabi, established in 2009 to support the Raptors MoU protecting migratory birds of prey across Europe, Africa and Asia, and has advanced migratory raptor research, including Saker Falcon recovery in Mongolia through an artificial nest-box project, backed by the Mohamed bin Zayed Raptor Conservation Fund. Over the same period, the Sheikh Zayed Falcon Release Programme has released more than 2,400 falcons across Central Asia, supported by institutions the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital, the world’s largest facility of its kind. It is this combination of a living cultural practice backed by scientific conservation that Abu Dhabi now brings to its partnership with Suwa.

The partnership builds on existing cooperation between Abu Dhabi and Japan, including the Emirates Falconers’ Club (EFC) – INPEX JODCO partnership, the EAD – INPEX JODCO Raptor Agreement and falcon exchange programme, and joint documentary work with Tokyo MX. Together, these efforts support a longer-term ambition to help bring Suwa falconry towards the same international recognition that the UAE has championed for the tradition worldwide.

Red Hat, the world’s leading provider of open source solutions, today announced that it has been named a Leader in the 2026 Gartner® Magic Quadrant for Cloud-Native Application Platforms for Red Hat OpenShift, the industry’s comprehensive hybrid application platform powered by Kubernetes. This recognition marks the third consecutive year that Red Hat has been positioned in the Leaders quadrant, based on the company’s Completeness of Vision and Ability to Execute. 

As organizations prioritize modernizing complex legacy environments while adopting artificial intelligence (AI), Red Hat believes that having an agile, secure and unified application foundation becomes critical. Gartner evaluates vendors in the report based on their offering strategy, innovation, overall viability, business model, and more. This research helps software engineering leaders evaluate cloud-native application platform vendors and find the best fit for their organization. In our opinion, Red Hat OpenShift delivers a consistent, enterprise-grade hybrid cloud experience built on Kubernetes flexibility, allowing organizations to manage containers, virtual machines (VMs) and AI workloads with the same operational and security rigor across any infrastructure footprint. The platform is natively integrated and available as a managed service including Red Hat OpenShift Service on AWS, Microsoft Azure Red Hat OpenShift, Red Hat OpenShift Dedicated on Google Cloud and Red Hat OpenShift on IBM Cloud, while also supporting flexible, self-managed deployments on-premises or in private clouds.

To support evolving enterprise demands, Red Hat recently expanded capabilities to optimize compute costs, resource scheduling and production-ready AI application development. Additionally, Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization, a native feature of Red Hat OpenShift, helps organizations migrate traditional VMs to a modern, unified application platform on their infrastructure of choice, whether on-premises or across major cloud environments, including AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, IBM Cloud and Oracle Cloud, allowing IT teams to manage containers, VMs and AI workloads through a single operational workflow. 

The Gartner Magic Quadrant for Cloud-Native Application Platforms evaluated 12 vendor solutions and was based on specific criteria that analyzed the company’s overall Completeness of Vision and Ability to Execute. According to Gartner, Leaders execute well against their current vision and are well positioned for tomorrow. View a complimentary copy of the Magic Quadrant report to learn more about Red Hat’s strengths and cautions, among other provider offerings, here.

Additional Resources:

• Learn more about Red Hat OpenShift
• Check out the blog to learn more: Red Hat named a Leader in the 2026 Gartner® Magic Quadrant for Cloud-Native Application Platforms for the Third Consecutive Year

Connect with Red Hat:

• Learn more about Red Hat
• Get more news in the Red Hat newsroom
• Read the Red Hat blog
• Follow Red Hat on Twitter
• Join Red Hat on Facebook
• Watch Red Hat videos on YouTube
• Follow Red Hat on LinkedIn

Jeddah – 2 September 2026

Jeddah Airports CEO, Eng. Mazen bin Mohammed Johar, received the *Airport Customer Experience Accreditation – Level 4* certificate awarded to King Abdulaziz International Airport under Airports Council International’s (ACI World) Airport Customer Experience Accreditation program on Wednesday in Istanbul, Türkiye. With this achievement, King Abdulaziz International Airport joins a select group of only 12 airports worldwide to have reached this advanced level.

The accreditation followed a comprehensive assessment conducted by ACI World across eight key areas: Customer Understanding, Customer Experience Strategy, Measurement, Operational Improvement, Governance, Airport Culture, Service Design and Innovation, and Airport Community Collaboration.

During the same summit, King Abdulaziz International Airport also received the *Public Health & Safety Readiness (PHSR) Accreditation* from ACI, recognizing the airport’s readiness in public health and safety in line with internationally recognized standards.

The two achievements reflect Jeddah Airports’ continued commitment to enhancing the passenger experience, improving service quality, and adopting global best practices in customer experience. They also highlight the importance of collaboration across the airport community in delivering a smoother and more innovative passenger journey at every stage.

Jeddah Airports CEO, Eng. Mazen Johar, said achieving Level 4 marks an important milestone in the ongoing development of the passenger experience at King Abdulaziz International Airport.

“This achievement reflects the collective efforts of our teams at Jeddah Airports and our partners across the airport community. It reinforces our commitment to placing passengers at the heart of our operations and decisions. We will continue to enhance our services and adopt innovative solutions that strengthen King Abdulaziz International Airport’s position as one of the Kingdom’s key gateways to the world,” Johar said.

ACI World’s *Airport Customer Experience Accreditation program* is one of the leading global programs for assessing and advancing airports’ maturity in customer experience management. The program evaluates airports across five levels based on a comprehensive framework and methodology.

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, September 2026 – The National Rehabilitation Center (NRC) marked Emirati Women’s Day by celebrating the achievements of Emirati women working across the rehabilitation sector and highlighting their contribution to advancing specialized care, promoting community awareness, and supporting individuals and families.

To mark the occasion, the NRC organized a series of activities showcasing the expertise and accomplishments of its female employees across medical, psychological, social, and administrative fields. The Center also honored its female employees in recognition of their dedication and valuable contributions to the Center’s mission and the wider community.

Yousef Altheeb Alketbi, Chief Executive Officer of the National Rehabilitation Center, said: “Emirati Women’s Day is an important national occasion that celebrates the achievements of Emirati women across all sectors. At the National Rehabilitation Center, we see first-hand the positive impact of Emirati female professionals, whose expertise, compassion, and sense of responsibility are integral to the specialized services we provide. Their work not only supports the health and well-being of individuals, but also contributes to stronger families and a more resilient society.”

He added: “We remain committed to empowering our female employees and creating opportunities for them to deepen their expertise and take on leadership and specialized roles. We firmly believe that investing in national talent is an investment in the future of our society.”

Dr. Samya Almamari, Director of the Medical Services Sector at the National Rehabilitation Center, said: “I take great pride in being an Emirati woman working in a field that has a direct and meaningful impact on the lives of individuals and families. My role at the National Rehabilitation Center gives me the opportunity, alongside my colleagues, to raise awareness and support the health and cohesion of our society. Emirati Women’s Day reflects the trust placed in Emirati women and the support they receive to fulfill their potential, contribute to the nation’s development, and turn their knowledge and ambition into a positive and lasting impact.”

Fatima Saeed, Director of the Nursing Department at the National Rehabilitation Center, said: “Emirati nursing professionals play an essential role in providing specialized and compassionate care to patients. We are proud to contribute to enhancing the quality of care and to stand alongside patients at every stage of their recovery.”

Alyazi Al Mazrouei, Head of the Health Education Section at the National Rehabilitation Center, said: “We are proud of the role Emirati women play in promoting health awareness and reinforcing the principles of prevention, helping empower members of the community to make more informed and healthier decisions.”

The celebration featured a range of cultural and interactive activities for female employees, including an abaya fashion showcase, health and personal care stations, and other employee engagement activities.

The event concluded with the recognition of the Center’s female employees for their professional achievements and dedication. The occasion reaffirmed the NRC’s commitment to creating an inclusive and supportive workplace where Emirati women can continue to develop their expertise, assume leadership responsibilities, and contribute to specialized fields.

Johannesburg, South Africa & Dubai, UAE

Cannabus Company (Pty) Ltd, a South African personal-care startup developing cannabis-infused beauty and grooming products, today reported a series of product rollouts, retail expansion and operational hires as it advances with ongoing support from FasterCapital.

FasterCapital and the EquityPilot program continue to support Cannabus’s current execution priorities, including commercial product launches, retail onboarding, and targeted customer-acquisition campaigns as the company advances in its current growth stage.

What the Startup Delivers?

– Cannabus Body Butter: commercially launched March 2025; available via the company website, Amazon, Takealot and Shopify.

– Cannabus Hair Grower: launched January 2025 and distributed across major online channels.

– Cannabus MEN Body: released November 2025 across e-commerce platforms and D2C.

– Cannabus Beard Serum: in development with a targeted commercial launch in May 2026. These product steps represent the company’s focus on skincare, haircare and men’s grooming categories within its product roadmap.

Current FasterCapital Support

FasterCapital’s ongoing contribution through EquityPilot includes:

– Milestone planning and execution follow-up to align product, manufacturing and retail timelines

– Pitch and communication refinement to support retail and channel discussions

– Fundraising readiness support and strategic prioritization as commercial traction builds

– Introductions to relevant ecosystem stakeholders and retail contacts where appropriate

Current Execution Priorities

Cannabus’s current priorities are focused on scaling commercial availability and demand-generation: finalizing the Beard Serum launch, fulfilling the multi-month supply agreement with a regional pharmacy partner, expanding direct-to-consumer sales, and executing AI-driven targeted advertising via newly appointed marketing resources.

Execution progress and evidence

Recent traction includes e-commerce and D2C sales across the product range (Body Butter, MEN Body, Hair Grower) and a supply agreement with Eland Pharmacy in Windhoek, Namibia, for 5,000 units over 12 months. The company has also onboarded a Marketing Agent to deploy AI-targeted campaigns on Facebook and Instagram, enhancing customer acquisition efforts. Cannabus is scheduled to exhibit at the Cannabis Expo (29–31 May 2026) at the Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg.

Leadership comment

“Hesham Zreik, Founder and CEO of FasterCapital, said: ‘We’re pleased to continue supporting Cannabus Company Pty Ltd through EquityPilot. Our team is focused on current execution priorities, milestone tracking, and connecting the startup with relevant ecosystem stakeholders as it advances.’”

About Cannabus Company Pty Ltd

Cannabus Company Pty Ltd develops cannabis-infused personal-care and grooming products for online and retail channels in Southern Africa. The company’s product portfolio includes body butters, hair-growth formulations and men’s grooming offerings, distributed via its website and major e-commerce platforms while pursuing regional retail partnerships.

About FasterCapital

FasterCapital is a global venture builder and online incubator dedicated to co-funding and co-founding innovative startups. Established in 2014, we are now #1 venture builder in terms of number of startups that we have helped, money invested and money raised. It supports startups worldwide through various programs, including funding assistance, business development, and technical support. The EquityPilot program is designed to help early-stage startups build scalable solutions with mentorship, strategic guidance, and network support.

Abu Dhabi, UAE, September 2026 – The Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT) is celebrating Emirati Women’s Day 2026 with a month-long focus on the women behind the planning, transport and infrastructure decisions that enhance the quality of everyday life across Abu Dhabi.

This year’s national celebration is being held under the theme ‘We Emerge Stronger and Better’ and, for the first time, will run from 28 August to 28 September 2026.

The extended celebration follows the directives of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Mother of the Nation, Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union, President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation.

Across DMT and its entities, Emirati women are contributing to the policies, projects and services that influence how communities grow and how residents experience the emirate. Throughout the month, DMT will highlight examples of women whose expertise has made a practical difference to residents and communities.

Leadership that shapes everyday life:

His Excellency Mohamed Ali Al Shorafa, Chairman of the Department of Municipalities and Transport, said: “Emirati women are already influencing how Abu Dhabi plans its neighbourhoods, delivers infrastructure and improves mobility. Their contribution is strongest when it goes beyond representation and reaches the decisions that shape everyday life for residents.

“The measure of progress is not their participation alone, but the influence that women have over major projects, policy and decisions that affect our communities. Creating clear paths for Emirati women to lead in these areas will strengthen DMT’s ability to keep Abu Dhabi liveable, connected and responsible to the needs of future generations.”

Emirati women across DMT and its entities work in planning and engineering roles, including the design and delivery of infrastructure and transport systems. Others contribute to policy, urban development, municipal services, sustainability and digital transformation.

Their work affects how easily residents reach schools and essential services, how safely they can move through neighbourhoods and how public spaces support family and community life.

From representation to visible impact:

Throughout the month-long celebration, DMT will share examples of Emirati women who have contributed to projects and initiatives that have a tangible effect on residents’ lives, focusing on what their work has achieved.

These stories will show how Emirati expertise is influencing decisions, strengthening services and improving the way that communities function. DMT will also use the occasion to encourage younger Emirati women to consider careers in planning and engineering. Emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, sustainability and smart mobility will play an increasingly important role in how Abu Dhabi develops.

Progress built through partnership:

The 2026 theme recognises that women’s progress is supported by families, communities and workplaces. It also acknowledges the role of men as partners in creating an environment where women can develop their careers, take on greater responsibility and succeed over the long term.

Within DMT, that means giving national talent the opportunity to build experience, take responsibility for major projects and progress into leadership roles.

Emirati women are already helping to decide how Abu Dhabi moves, grows and serves its communities. As the emirate expands, their leadership will be essential to keeping people and families at the centre of the places, services and systems that will define life in Abu Dhabi for generations to come.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, September 2026: LEAP 2026 concluded its landmark fifth edition today with $1 million awarded across seven Rocket Fuel prizes, bringing four days of technology announcements, investment, partnerships and startup activity in Riyadh to a close.

The fifth edition brought together 1,323 speakers alongside 1,397 investors from 1,027 firms across 72 countries, collectively representing $18.3 trillion in assets under management. More than 1,500 exhibitors participated in LEAP 2026, including over 750 global companies, while 1,294 companies participated across the exhibition and startup programme.

The fifth edition opened with more than $15 billion in technology investments and strategic partnerships announced on Day One, with further commitments unveiled throughout the four-day event across digital infrastructure, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, startup funding and emerging technology.

Mike Champion, CEO of Tahaluf and Co-Creator of LEAP, said: “As we close our fifth edition, our attention is already on what comes next. Our ambition is to build on LEAP’s momentum by deepening its international reach, creating greater opportunities for companies and founders to access capital and new markets, and strengthening the Kingdom’s connections with the global technology ecosystem. LEAP has never been about standing still, and we are already looking ahead to an even more ambitious sixth edition.”

The final day placed founders at the centre of that growth through the Rocket Fuel Finale. Ten startups reached the final after advancing from a cohort of 100 semi-finalists drawn from more than 25 countries and over 40 nationalities. Founders pitched live on the Main Stage for a share of the $1 million prize pool.

The judging panel comprised Armineh Baghoomian, Managing Director, Head of Europe, Middle East and Africa at Partners for Growth; Talal Alasmari, Founding Partner at Ra’ed Ventures; JF Gauthier, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Startup Genome; and Robin Schneider, Chief Strategy Officer and Acting Chief Investment Officer at HUMAIN. Finalists were scored across seven criteria, including innovation, scalability, traction, societal impact and the strength of the founding team.

The LEAP Award, the competition’s $250,000 grand prize, went to Waspito, a Cameroon headquartered AI powered software company that uses teleconsultations and digital systems to improve access to healthcare for Africans by connecting payers, providers and consumers of healthcare services.

The remaining six prizes were awarded to Imagine Devices, which received the $150,000 Shooting Star Award; Ferveret, which received the $150,000 Scaling Star Award; SarsatX, which received the $150,000 Into New Worlds Award; Melt Water, which received the $150,000 Tech for Humanity Award; Carevision, which received the $100,000 LEAP Landing Award; and Kanz, which received the $50,000 Founder Award, chosen with the LEAP audience.

Talal Alasmari, Founding Partner at Ra’ed Ventures, who sat on the Finale judging panel, said: “What stands out to me after five years of LEAP is how it has evolved from a major technology gathering into a platform that connects ambitious founders from around the world with real opportunities in Saudi Arabia and the region. I’m excited to see that continue in the years ahead, with more companies looking at Riyadh not just as a place to showcase innovation, but as a place to build and scale.”

Beyond the competition, the final day brought further commitments spanning national infrastructure, financial access and cross-border expansion.

The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Nourah Cloud and SeeCubic AIMAGINEX KSA signed a memorandum of understanding to establish AIMAGINEX, a global nexus for AI-powered applied immersive media technologies. Valued at USD 104 million, the national innovation hub and AI centre of excellence will bring together government, academia and industry to accelerate the development, commercialisation and adoption of applied artificial intelligence and immersive digital media. The initiative supports Saudi Vision 2030 and the Kingdom’s position as a global centre for digital innovation.

Annabelle Mander, Executive Vice President of Tahaluf and Co-Creator of LEAP, said: “The scale of this fifth edition reflects how far LEAP has come, but what matters most is what that scale enables. Over five editions, we have built a platform that brings founders, investors, technology leaders and companies from around the world together in Riyadh, creating connections across markets, industries and ideas. LEAP today has a genuinely global community around it, and seeing that community continue to grow is one of the strongest indicators of what we can build from here.”

The pipeline for LEAP’s next chapter is already taking shape, with 653 applications received for the 2027 startup programme, as founders look ahead to the event’s sixth edition.

About LEAP:

Saudi Arabia’s desire to shoot for something beyond the realms of the possible presents the ultimate backdrop for LEAP.

LEAP showcases the Kingdom’s technology ambition on a global stage as it continues to grow as a hub connecting three continents. The figures speak for themselves as LEAP 2025 had an attendance of over 200,000, making it the most attended tech event in the world. LEAP features the inspiring tech of tomorrow across all major sectors including health, finance, energy, education, digital entertainment, transport, smart cities and more. The event is also led by a speaker faculty of globally celebrated technology innovators, focusing on the most innovative tech case studies from around the world.

LEAP is not like any other tech event, from the ground up the community, stakeholders and project team are challenged every day to do something wildly creative and bold, something that reflects the seismic advances in tech adoption being seen in Saudi Arabia.

About Tahaluf:

Headquartered in Riyadh, Tahaluf brings together strategically important commercial communities from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the wider Gulf region, and from around the world to a portfolio of world-class exhibitions and digital platforms.

Tahaluf is a joint venture partnership between Informa PLC, the world’s largest trade show organiser, the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones (SAFCSP), and Events Investment Fund (EIF). Sela, the Saudi-owned event production company renowned for its creation of spectacular event experiences, intends to join the joint venture in the near future.

Tahaluf is responsible for the award-winning tech events LEAP, DeepFest and LEAP East, as well as Money 20/20 Middle East, the Global Health Exhibition, Cityscape Global, Black Hat MEA and CPHI Middle East.

By: Mohammed Al-Moneer, Senior Director, Turkey, France, Africa and Middle East T-FAME at Infoblox

For years, enterprise networking strategies were built around a relatively simple assumption: applications lived in one primary environment, connectivity followed predictable paths, and security controls could be enforced at well-defined boundaries. That world no longer exists. Today, the future of networking is being shaped by three powerful forces – multi-cloud adoption, deep automation, and Zero Trust security, and their convergence is fundamentally changing how networks are designed, managed, and secured.

Across the Middle East, organizations are accelerating digital transformation initiatives while simultaneously adopting AI at scale. Governments are advancing national AI strategies, financial institutions are modernizing customer experiences, and enterprises across sectors are embedding intelligence into their operations. These trends demand unprecedented levels of agility. AI workloads require massive compute flexibility, low-latency access to data, and the ability to move resources dynamically. As a result, enterprises are no longer choosing a single cloud provider. Instead, they are distributing workloads across multiple hyperscalers, private clouds, and on-premises environments to meet performance, resilience, regulatory, and cost requirements.

The networking implications of this shift are profound. Cloud providers are increasingly enabling direct, on-demand interconnections between their platforms. These new interconnect capabilities allow workloads and data to move directly from one cloud to another without traversing the public internet. While this creates exciting opportunities for performance and agility, it also leads to more fragmented, or “jagged” architectures, where applications are broken into components distributed across providers.

In such environments, traditional assumptions about IP addressing and naming quickly break down. Overlapping IP address spaces, inconsistent naming conventions, and fragmented visibility become common challenges. Without strong foundations in critical network services (DNS, DHCP, and IPAM), organizations risk creating blind spots that undermine both performance and security. What once felt like back-office plumbing has now become mission-critical infrastructure.

The growing collaboration among hyperscalers on cloud interconnect is a clear signal that multi-cloud and hybrid cloud are no longer edge cases. They are the default operating model. This reality is being driven not only by business strategy, but also by AI. AI pipelines often span multiple environments, pulling data from one cloud, processing it in another, and delivering insights to applications hosted elsewhere. Networking must keep up with this fluidity, providing consistent connectivity and control regardless of where workloads reside.

Yet each cloud provider brings its own native tools, operational models, and abstractions. While these tools are powerful in isolation, they create significant complexity when used together. Teams are often forced to switch between consoles, reconcile different telemetry formats, and apply inconsistent policies across environments. The result is operational friction, delayed troubleshooting, and increased risk.

This is where automation becomes essential. In a multi-cloud world, manual configuration and static policies simply cannot scale. Networks must be able to adapt in real time as workloads appear, move, and disappear. Automation, driven by accurate, continuously updated data, allows organizations to manage this dynamism without increasing operational burden. It also enables more consistent enforcement of security and compliance requirements across platforms.

At the same time, the cybersecurity landscape is undergoing its own transformation. Attackers are increasingly using automation and AI to accelerate reconnaissance, identify vulnerabilities, and compress the time between compromise and impact. As environments become more dynamic, the traditional security model of waiting for alerts and investigating incidents becomes increasingly difficult to sustain. Organizations can no longer rely solely on a reactive approach where threats are detected after they have already entered the environment. Instead, they must embrace a preemptive security mindset – one that focuses on anticipating, neutralizing, and disrupting threats before they can execute or cause damage.

Zero Trust security principles align naturally with this automated, multi-cloud future. In a distributed environment, there is no single perimeter to defend. Every connection, between users, workloads, services, and clouds, must be verified and continuously evaluated. Trust is not assumed based on location, but earned through context and behaviour. Increasingly, leading organizations are combining Zero Trust principles with preemptive security strategies that focus on preventing threats from progressing rather than simply detecting them after compromise.

Networking plays a critical role in making Zero Trust practical. DNS, in particular, represents one of the earliest and most universal control points across modern infrastructure. Every application, workload, user, and device depends on DNS to initiate communication. This creates a unique opportunity not only to observe activity but also to enforce preemptive security controls before risk materializes. By identifying suspicious destinations, unauthorized communications, or policy violations at the point of connection, organizations can disrupt malicious activity before attackers gain a foothold, move laterally, establish command-and-control channels, or access critical resources. Security becomes significantly more effective when it is embedded into the fabric of the network itself, preventing threats from progressing rather than relying solely on downstream detection and response mechanisms.

Consistent, real-time evaluation of workloads and communications is especially important as environments become more automated. AI-driven applications may spin up resources, initiate connections, or access data in ways that change minute by minute. Security controls must be just as dynamic. Continuous assessment ensures that policies remain effective even as the underlying infrastructure evolves, enabling organizations to contain risk proactively rather than relying on remediation after compromise.

For enterprises in the Middle East, the opportunity is significant. By embracing multi-cloud architectures, organizations gain flexibility and resilience. By investing in automation, they reduce complexity and operational risk. And by embedding Zero Trust and preemptive security principles into the network itself, they create a security model designed for modern, distributed IT environments and AI-driven operations.

The organizations that will lead in the AI era are those that recognize networking and security are no longer separate disciplines. Visibility, automation, and policy enforcement must operate as a unified capability across every environment where applications and data reside. Strong network foundations provide the intelligence needed to maintain consistency across clouds, automate operations at scale, establish trust continuously, and stop threats before they can disrupt the business.

The cloud wars are over. The future belongs to organizations that can connect, secure, and automate across many clouds as if they were one. Success will depend not only on operational efficiency, but also on the ability to build security directly into the network foundation. In an era where AI is accelerating both innovation and cyber threats, organizations must move beyond purely reactive defense models and embrace architectures that continuously verify, enforce, anticipate, and prevent. Those that can reduce complexity while disrupting threats at the earliest possible stage will be best positioned to thrive in the next era of digital transformation.