According to a recent survey conducted by Kaspersky in collaboration with the UAE Cyber Security Council, more than a third of parents surveyed (33%) across the UAE, believe that their children play games that are inappropriate for their age. Based on the survey, boys are more prone to such behaviour than girls – 50% and 43% of children respectively have violated age guidelines when playing games on their computers.

It’s possible that parents tend to exaggerate the problem of violating age restrictions in computer games, or children are not always aware of these restrictions: according to the children themselves, only 30% confessed that they had ever played games that were not suitable for their age. Girls are more obedient to age restrictions of video games, with 78% having never played inappropriate games, while for boys it is 64%.

Playing computer games is a common way for youngsters to spend their free time (91%). Half of them use smartphones for gaming (52%), and the second place is taken by computers (40%). Based on parents’ estimates, 41% of children play video games every day. “Parents often worry that their children spend too much time playing computer games. Of course, it is important to ensure that the child follows a routine, gets enough sleep, takes a break from the screen, and is physically active, however, parents should not blame computer games for everything”, comments Seifallah Jedidi, Head of Consumer Channel for the META at Kaspersky. “Parents should take a proactive position in this area, be interested in the latest products offered by the video game industry, and, of course, understand their children’s gaming preferences and pay attention to the age limits marking. It’s worth mentioning that today, there is a wide variety of games on offer, many of which include educational materials, and so we recommend not to prohibit this type of leisure, but rather to seek a compromise.”

To keep children safe online, Kaspersky recommends that parents:

1. Pursue interest in what games your children play. Ideally, you should try those games yourself. This will help build more trust in your family relationships and help you to understand what your child is interested in.
2. If you notice that your child plays a lot, try to analyze the reasons for this and also answer the question of whether they have an alternative that they like, ask what they would like to do besides gaming and try to engage them with another interesting hobby.
3. Be informed about current cyber threats and talk to your children about the risks they may face online; teach them how to resist online threats and recognize the tricks of scammers.
4. Use a parental control program on your child’s device. It will allow you to control the applications downloaded on the device or set a schedule for when these applications can be used.

The survey entitled “Growing Up Online” was conducted by Toluna Research Agency at the request of Kaspersky in 2023-2024. The study sample included 2000 online interviews (1000 parent-child pairs, with children aged 3 to 17 years) in the UAE.

According to new data from SolarWinds, less than one in five (18%) IT professionals believe their present cloud infrastructure satisfies their business needs, indicating a large disconnect between expectations and reality when it comes to cloud adoption. The research, based on a survey of 272 global IT professionals, shows that despite the cloud’s promises of scalability and cost savings, the reality is mixed for many IT teams: only a quarter of those surveyed (25%) feel their organisation’s approach to the cloud is carefully considered and successful, while 23% admit their hybrid cloud strategy has created an overly complex IT environment. Despite this, less than a quarter (22%) of respondents have invested in external IT services to help with their cloud migration strategy.

In response to these cloud challenges, more than one in ten (16%) respondents have already repatriated workloads back to on-premises. Meanwhile, a further 12% acknowledge that poorly planned cloud transitions have already resulted in long-term financial impacts on their organisations. This goes to show that rushed cloud migrations can lead to costly fixes or reversals.

The data also indicates a lack of trust in cloud security, with nearly half (46%) of IT pros still storing their most sensitive data on-premises due to persistent security worries. However, the findings do highlight a continued focus on cloud strategies to reduce costs. Nearly a third (29%) of respondents say they are prioritising cloud migration to cut operational costs.

Commenting on the findings, Sascha Giese, Global Tech Evangelist at SolarWinds, said, “The truth is, managing complex hybrid-cloud ecosystems isn’t easy. While the cloud promises scalability and cost savings, the gap between expectation and execution is becoming increasingly evident. In this landscape, many businesses find themselves grappling with overly complex infrastructures that struggle to meet evolving needs.”

In a hybrid cloud world with increasingly complex networks, systems, devices, and applications, managing microservices and containers adds to the challenge. Without proper planning and comprehensive visibility, organisations risk finding themselves in a dire situation. Tool sprawl, information silos, and alert fatigue can all lead to an unpleasant cloud experience, making it harder to identify the root causes of complex issues.

“To overcome these challenges, IT leaders must adopt a more strategic and informed approach to cloud migration, focusing on tools that are reliable, secure, and accelerate modernisation. One key advantage businesses can leverage to successfully manage their hybrid cloud infrastructures is comprehensive observability. That means gaining real-time visibility into every layer of the IT estate and acting proactively with the assistance of machine learning algorithms and AI-driven analytics. Cloud infrastructure can be a powerful growth enabler, but with a mess of mismatched tools and poor visibility, it will be a bumpy ride,” added Giese.

Over 155,000 vulnerable assets have been identified within the UAE, according to recent reports from the UAE Cybersecurity Council. This alarming figure reflects the growing cybersecurity risks in the Middle East, driven by geopolitical factors, increased migration, and the region’s expanding digital presence. In addition to these vulnerabilities, advanced threats like ransomware are rising. In 2024, Saudi Arabia reported 11 ransomware incidents in 2024, up from 10 in 2023, Lebanon saw an increase from 2 to 7 cases, and Oman reported 4. These incidents highlight the urgent need for comprehensive cybersecurity education.

Human error is a major contributor to cyberattacks, yet a recent PwC survey reveals that only 37% of organizations in the Middle East have implemented strong training and awareness programs for their employees. Acronis, a global leader in cybersecurity and data protection, has reported that partners who completed training and certification under the Acronis Academy program experienced higher revenue growth from product sales and fewer IT support requests from customers than non-certified partners. These findings are based on certification training data and sales metrics achieved by its partners.

Acronis launched the MSP Academy in 2023 to offer specialised MSP training, supporting the growing base of managed service providers. Data from their certification training revealed that partners who completed certification training saw an average 60% increase in revenue and a 40% reduction in incident resolution reports. “The Acronis MSP Academy modules cover essential areas including managed services, cybersecurity, and marketing, all of which are particularly relevant to the growing demands in the Middle East,” says Ziad Nasr, General Manager of Acronis Middle East, “By completing these courses, MSPs in the region can enhance their expertise in cybersecurity, deliver exceptional services to clients, and strengthen their reputation in a rapidly evolving market.”

In 2025, emerging cyber threats like deepfake technology and AI-generated phishing emails are expected to evolve, with attackers increasingly exploiting vulnerabilities as businesses and government agencies rely more on digital communication. Cybercriminals may impersonate executives or government officials using deepfake audio or video, making these attacks difficult to detect. These advanced threats are often beyond public awareness and can only be effectively identified if proper training and awareness programs are in place to help individuals recognize and defend against them.