Security Discussions: Resilient Cities

In this series of articles, we’ll break down every panel discussion at the Security Middle East Conference 2024! Learn the highlights and moments that made the event such a ground-breaking success. 

Following Luke Bencie’s keynote panel focused on preparing security professionals for increased tourism, Craig Ross took to the stage, to moderate the next discussion focused on the evolution and implementation of resilient cities. Craig Ross returns to the conference after his participation as a panellist in 2023. Currently, Craig is the Associate Director of Safety and Security at the Diriyah Company and has extensive experience managing and implementing giga-projects and smart and resilient cities.

Craig was joined on stage by:
– Firas Beiruti: Regional Manager – Dell Technologies
– Joe Stanley: Riyadh Council Chairman – U.S. State Department’s Overseas Security Advisory Council
– Abdulaziz Alqahtani: Manager Security Operations – Aramco
– Mohamad Saad: KSA & Bahrain Country Manager – Genetec
– Issam Shibany: Director of Presales & Business Development – Convergint

The panel discussion began with a quick rundown of the promises of the Saudi Vision 2030 initiative and a look at the progress the vision has already made.

Discussions began on the Kingdom’s progress in recent years, and how technology is moving at a faster and faster pace. The panellists touched on the distribution of data, resilient cities will incorporate many new technologies, many of which are designed to capture data. “Cities are investing more and more into new technologies, license plate recognition systems, video analytics systems, power grids and sensors. It’s very important to manage resources. This is the challenge, what do we do with all this data we are gathering? How do we utilize it?” commented Mohamad Saad, Country Manager at Genetec.

Alongside the development of data capture, the panel also came to the conclusion that there must be intensive scrutiny during the planning phase, with there being little room to correct problems once the city has begun being built.

“Unfortunately the physical survey of these sites is often skipped. If this is done correctly in the initial stage you avoid problems down the line. Innovation also starts at this level. If you have done your first stage correctly, you can avoid roadblocks and these projects can finish on time.” stated Issam Shibany, from Convergint.

The Panel ended with a discussion about Aramco, and larger companies, how they are helping to shape resilient cities, and how citizens, employees, workers, and all members of the security industry will have an impact on the future of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the way Resilient Cities are executed.