CyberKnight, a prominent regional cybersecurity advisory and value-added distributor, today announced the establishment of its local entity in Johannesburg, South Africa. The company has also appointed Wade Gomes as Country Manager for the SAADC (Southern African Development Community) region. This move underscores CyberKnight’s dedication to supporting the burgeoning Southern African market, where cybersecurity is increasingly becoming a top priority for organisations across various sectors.

“Wade Gomes’ appointment marks an important milestone for CyberKnight in Southern Africa. His deep industry knowledge, decades of experience and leadership will be instrumental as we expand our presence and work closely with our partners and customers,” said Yaadhna Singh Gounden, Regional Director for Sub-Saharan Africa. “Our goal is to enable organisations to navigate the complexities of today’s cybersecurity landscape with confidence, leveraging best-in-class solutions and proven frameworks.”

South Africa’s ongoing digital transformation, coupled with the rising sophistication of cyber threats, has driven a greater emphasis on implementing strong security solutions and adhering to regulatory compliance. The region’s cybersecurity market is characterised by a significant demand for advanced technologies, particularly in areas like cloud security, AI-powered threat detection, and managed security services. As businesses embrace digitalisation, they encounter new vulnerabilities, necessitating scalable and innovative solutions to safeguard sensitive data and ensure uninterrupted operations. The collaborative efforts between government, businesses, and technology providers to bridge skills gaps and strengthen defenses highlight the significant growth potential in the region.

“I’m excited to be part of CyberKnight’s journey in Southern Africa. The region is at a critical point in its cybersecurity evolution, and there’s a real opportunity to make a lasting impact, by combining local expertise with global experience. I’m honored and excited to lead this mission locally, with a goal to transform South Africa into one of CyberKnight’s hubs and a center of excellence, by helping customers stay ahead of threats while maximising the value of their cybersecurity investments,” added Wade Gomes, Country Manager at CyberKnight.

CyberKnight’s establishment in South Africa signifies its complete coverage across the African continent. The company brings its Zero Trust Security philosophy and a portfolio of leading global cybersecurity vendors to assist enterprise and government organisations throughout Africa in managing risk and enhancing resilience as they navigate evolving regulations and threats.

ManageEngine, the enterprise IT management division of Zoho Corporation, today announced significant upgrades to its PAM360 privileged access management platform. The enhancements include AI-powered features for intelligent least privilege access and risk remediation policy recommendations, alongside a new privileged task automation module powered by Zoho’s Qntrl workflow orchestration platform. These additions aim to help businesses automate administrative tasks, enforce least privilege at scale with smart, context-aware controls, and minimize security risks through automated remediation.

The company also highlighted the limitations of traditional PAM models relying on static policies and manual processes, often lacking crucial context and leading to excessive permissions and security vulnerabilities. Their 2024 Identity Security Insights report indicated that 68% of respondents are seeking AI-driven improvements in risk-based access control.

“Today’s hybrid, multi-cloud environments have led to an explosion of human and non-human identities, creating complex access workflows and rampant privilege sprawl. To tackle this, organizations require dynamic policies that can intelligently enforce the principle of least privilege across their identity stack. With the AI-driven CIEM module in PAM360, IT security teams can now generate intelligent least privilege policies, proactively flag risky entitlements and automate remediation, helping enterprises close critical identity security gaps before they’re exploited,” said Ramanathan Kannabiran, director of product management at ManageEngine.

Addressing this need, PAM360’s Cloud Infrastructure Entitlement Management (CIEM) module now incorporates AI-generated least privilege policies, automated remediation of shadow admin risks, and real-time access and session summaries. These AI-powered capabilities enable organizations to proactively combat access sprawl and misconfigurations in hybrid environments with minimal manual intervention.

ManageEngine also addressed the inefficiencies and potential security gaps associated with business workflows using RPA and script-based automation that often rely on manual access provisioning. Modern IT teams require dynamic controls to streamline on-demand access within these automated workflows and bolster overall security.

According to Kannabiran, “Privileged task automation in PAM360 eliminates the need for administrators to manually grant and revoke necessary access privileges for every automated routine. Access is provisioned just in time, based on the task context, and revoked automatically once the task ends. This not only preserves admin bandwidth, but also reduces the risk of privilege misuse caused by excessive or standing access.”

Leveraging Zoho’s Qntrl, PAM360 now offers native automation capabilities, eliminating the need for third-party tools. This deep integration within the Zoho ecosystem allows for seamless orchestration of privileged access workflows, enhancing efficiency without compromising security. PAM360 streamlines vendor access with automated onboarding and offboarding, provisions temporary, just-in-time access with granular, time-bound controls, and ensures secure, hands-free transfer of privileged data – delivering speed, consistency, and reduced risk across the organization.

Global safety and sustainability solutions leader EcoOnline has announced its entry into the Middle East market, underscoring its commitment to support the region’s significant industrial and regulatory evolution. To spearhead this expansion, EcoOnline has appointed experienced safety and compliance expert Nicholas Matta as Regional Director for the Middle East. Matta will be responsible for guiding the company’s growth in the region, empowering organizations to achieve their health, safety, and sustainability objectives.

Nicholas Matta brings extensive experience in Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) across the Middle East. His background encompasses both project delivery and commercial leadership, providing a comprehensive understanding of how organizations approach risk, compliance, and transformation. Previously holding a leadership position at Enablon, Matta is recognized for his ability to cultivate strong, culturally aligned relationships throughout the region. In his new role at EcoOnline, he will lead partner engagement, customer adoption, and go-to-market strategies in the Middle East, while also overseeing business development in the Benelux region.

Nicholas commented, “I am proud to be part of EcoOnline’s journey in the fast-growing Middle East region. There is a clear opportunity to close market gaps in areas like lone worker protection and chemical safety — challenges that are too often overlooked despite their risk. EcoOnline is uniquely positioned to address these needs with intuitive, people-centered solutions that deliver lasting impact at every level of an organisation.”

The Middle East is currently undergoing rapid industrial and economic transformation, driven by national initiatives such as Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, the upcoming World Expo 2035, and ambitious mega-projects like The Line within the $500 billion NEOM development. Since the launch of Vision 2030 in 2016, Saudi Arabia has witnessed a 60% increase in industrial facilities, with the IMF projecting a cumulative economic growth of 6.7% over the next two years. As infrastructure and energy projects accelerate and local workforces expand under nationalization programs like Saudization, the demand for safe, sustainable, and compliant operations is escalating. Key sectors including construction, manufacturing, and energy are facing increasing pressure to meet international standards in both sustainability reporting and frontline risk management.

“The Middle East is at a critical inflection point, with ambitious national agendas driving industrial growth and employment,” said Gareth Palmer, SVP Channel & Alliances. “We see a clear opportunity — and responsibility — to help companies build a safer, more sustainable world of work. By combining local expertise with a global partner ecosystem, we can support organisations navigating this transformation — not just with technology, but with long-term, trust-based collaboration.”

EcoOnline has already established a presence in the Middle East through collaborations with global partners such as DSS+, VPWhite, and WSP. This formal expansion builds upon EcoOnline’s robust foundation in Europe, North America, ANZ (Australia and New Zealand), and South Africa. It reflects the company’s ongoing dedication to providing high-impact industries with user-friendly tools that simplify complexity and enhance safety culture, regulatory compliance, and environmental performance.