The global cybersecurity sector is accelerating at an unprecedented pace. According to market intelligence, the overall cybersecurity market is expected to reach around USD 500 billion by 2030, growing at double-digit compound annual growth rates driven by AI-powered threat detection, zero-trust architectures, IT/OT convergence and preparation for quantum-era security. (Grand View Research).
In the industrial cybersecurity domain, the demand is similarly rising: the global industrial cybersecurity market was valued at approximately USD 84.5 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow to over USD 135 billion by 2029, at a CAGR of around 9.8%. (MarketsandMarkets).
Regionally, the Middle East is among the fastest-growing markets for cybersecurity services and AI security integration. The cybersecurity market in the Middle East is estimated at USD 20.55 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach around USD 40.97 billion by 2030 — registering a CAGR of approximately 14.8%. (Mordor Intelligence).
In Qatar, the drive toward a knowledge-based economy, smart infrastructure programmes and large-scale digital transformation initiatives is creating a compelling mandate for cybersecurity and resilience. Recent research estimates the Qatari cybersecurity market at around USD 143 million in 2025, with growth forecast toward USD 195.7 million by 2030. (Mordor Intelligence) This growth is being enabled by government strategy, cloud-first transformation, 5G roll-out and increasing awareness of operational risk.
The transition from defense-only to resilient, AI-driven frameworks presents enormous strategic opportunity. Yet, organisations across sectors face mounting challenges: autonomous threat actors leveraging generative AI, OT/ICS environments exposed to advanced attacks, workforce and skills shortages, complex regulatory regimes and the imperative of maintaining business continuity.
Join Cyber Security Leaders and Innovators in Doha, Qatar at the 31st Edition of Cyberx Global Series and 6th Annual CyberX Summit & Awards, Qatar Edition on 1st April 2026. Join us for this 1-day dialogue with reformative panel discussions, keynote presentations, fire-side chat, spotlight tracks to discuss the current initiatives and future trends to safeguard the organizations & business effectiveness.
Khalid Al-Hashemi is the Director of National Cyber Security Enablement & Excellence Affairs at National Cyber Security Agency (NCSA). He is responsible to enable national level cyber security initiatives and projects, he is responsible for national level cyber security innovation, research, development, enablement, training and awareness programs, he also provides co-ordination between NCSA and external stakeholders and creating partnerships with related local entities to enhance national cyber security.
Khalid started his career within Industrial sector in Information Technology, then moved to cyber security domain and for the last decade he was in leadership roles in national cyber security.
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