Muscat – The third edition of the Cybersecurity & Cloud Conference – themed Data Protection, Privacy & Digital Resilience – brought together government representatives, technology leaders, cybersecurity professionals and industry experts in Oman at the Intercity Hotel Muscat on Wednesday.

Hosted by Muscat Daily and officially endorsed by the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology (MTCIT), the conference highlighted the critical role of cybersecurity, cloud technologies and digital resilience in supporting Oman’s digital transformation agenda. The event was organised by Concept.

The event commenced with a welcome address by Saleh Zakwani, Executive Chairman of Apex Media, followed by an overview of the conference’s journey and future vision by Dr Haitham Al Hajri, Conference Advisor, who reflected on its growth over three editions and its commitment to fostering collaboration across the cybersecurity ecosystem.

The keynote speakers – Achal Sarin, Director, Cyber Security, Deloitte, and Ashish Bhugra, Partner, Deloitte – then explored the importance of building trusted digital nations, global cybersecurity trends, regional priorities and the opportunities ahead for Oman as it advances its digital economy.

A series of industry presentations showcased emerging approaches to cybersecurity, emphasising the need to move beyond traditional security models, strengthen organisational resilience through artificial intelligence, unlock business value from digital transformation, and adopt Zero Trust architectures to address evolving cyber risks in Oman.

The conference also featured four panel discussions covering key issues shaping the sector. Discussions by prominent professionals in the field examined evolving data protection and privacy regulations, secure digital infrastructure and preparedness for the quantum computing era. They also explored cybersecurity challenges facing the financial sector, with focus on fraud prevention, secure digital transactions and strengthening public trust in digital financial services.

Additionally, the conference saw presentation of the Cybersecurity & Digital Excellence Awards 2026 in 33 categories, recognising organisations and individuals for their contributions to advancing cybersecurity and digital innovation.