Commvault Unveils Cyber Resilience and AI Tools at GITEX 2025
As cyberattacks escalate globally—now occurring every 11 seconds—organizations across the Middle East are shifting from traditional disaster recovery to full-fledged cyber resilience strategies.
At GITEX Global 2025, Technology Express spoke with Yahya Kassab, Senior Director and General Manager for KSA, Gulf, and Pakistan at Commvault, about how the 27-year-old data protection leader is empowering regional enterprises to protect critical assets, recover swiftly from advanced threats, and strengthen resilience through innovative approaches like the Minimum Viable Company (MVC) model.
With a strong presence of over 15 years in the region and offices in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, Commvault continues to lead in cyber recovery, AI protection, and awareness initiatives, including its immersive “Minute to Meltdown” simulation events.
Protecting AI and Cloud Data Through Innovation
Commvault has been a consistent presence at GITEX for over a decade, using the event to connect with customers and partners while showcasing innovation. This year, Kassab revealed two major advancements.
“First, we are providing solutions inside our platform to protect AI. We’ve introduced new technology that provides secure and responsible access to AI and large language models (LLMs). To be honest, this has been a long ask from our customers because AI is everywhere, and they need to know how they can protect their investment in AI.”
In addition, Commvault is expanding protection for Apache Iceberg on Amazon Cloud, one of the most widely used platforms for building AI systems. According to Kassab, this innovation is rapidly gaining traction in the market.
The company also announced new partnerships with regional providers such as Du, STC, and Zain, underscoring its commitment to local collaboration and customer engagement.
Building the Minimum Viable Company for Cyber Resilience
A key concept Commvault is advocating is the Minimum Viable Company (MVC)—a practical framework that helps organizations focus on their most vital assets during an attack.
“When you are under attack, things become very complex. To start simplifying this, we have to identify the most important systems, the most important processes, and the most important people to bring the service back. You essentially ignore the noise and focus on the important assets of the company.”
Commvault works closely with its partners to help customers identify and protect these critical components—an essential step in maintaining operational continuity under pressure.
As Kassab emphasized, cyber resilience is not only about prevention but also rapid recovery. Planning for the “worst day” allows organizations to reverse-engineer their recovery process and restart operations quickly.
Fostering Awareness and Regional Readiness
Cybersecurity awareness remains one of Commvault’s top priorities. Kassab explained that aligning with government regulations across different countries helps the company support national resilience goals.
“Cyber security is a community responsibility. It’s not a certain entity’s responsibility. All the good guys have to work together to help defend and protect data. Part of this is creating awareness.”
Through initiatives like “Minute to Meltdown,” Commvault simulates real-world attacks to educate both business and IT leaders. These sessions allow participants to experience the decision-making challenges faced during an active cyber incident. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, with plans to expand the program further across the region.
Commvault also continues to collaborate with governments, regulators, and enterprises to develop customized resilience plans for sectors such as healthcare, defense, telecommunications, and utilities. Each plan is tailored to address specific risks and compliance requirements, ensuring that recovery strategies align with industry standards and national priorities.
As Kassab noted, even though no organization is completely immune from cyber threats, resilience now defines success:
“What people want now is their data and their operations back as fast as possible so they can get back to operations and stop losing money.”
At GITEX 2025, it’s clear that Commvault is not only advancing technology but also championing a culture of resilience across industries—ensuring that every organization is prepared for the next digital disruption.
