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Global advanced technology leader Thales says its decades-long engagement with the Sultanate of Oman has evolved from that of a vendor of technology solutions to a partner focused on the development of the country’s local capabilities across a number of strategic fields.
Commencing its operations in Oman over 40 years ago, the French-based international tech giant is credited with implementing a range of vital projects on behalf of, among other sectors, the Ministry of Defence, airports and companies in the aerospace and technology industries.
But the transition to becoming a full-fledged partner, as opposed to a mere vendor, occurred when Thales won a major contract to secure Muscat and Salalah international airports – a move that necessitated a ramp-up of local in-country capabilities, according to a key official.
“Today, Thales is in a unique situation where we think and operate like a local company, fully embedded in the local ecosystem. Our goal is to continue supporting Oman with realising its Vision 2040 through the development of localised and sovereign technology capabilities,” said Abdelhafid Mordi (pictured), Country Director of Thales in Oman.
“With this in mind, we are prioritising Omanisation and the localisation of industries with a focus on fortifying the country’s capabilities in security, digital, aerospace, defence and space projects,” he further noted.
In exclusive remarks to the Observer, Mordi underlined Thales’ contribution to advancing Oman’s digital transformation goals, recalling in particular the country’s landmark National Registry System (NRS) initiative.
“Oman is one of the very first countries in the region to have embraced digital transformation,” said the Country Director. “One of the first few milestones was over 20 years ago in 2002, when the Sultanate of Oman launched its eGovernment project, introducing its National Registry System (NRS). This was a first of its kind, single, centralised database that maintained records for all citizens. The NRS provided a trusted base for the country's subsequent eGovernment initiatives.”
A more recent example of Thales’ support for Oman’s cybersecurity is evident from the establishment of the Advanced Cybersecurity Academy (ACA) - the product of a partnership with Oman’s Public Authority for Privatisation and Partnership (PAPP).
“Thales provides a complete cyber training programme led by in-house cyber experts. An extension of this cooperation in the near future is the set-up in-country of an enhanced cyber platform that would provide sophisticated cybersecurity training and testing facilities,” Mordi noted.
Significantly, knowledge transfer is one of two major underlying objectives of this first of its kind project in the Sultanate of Oman, according to the official. “Through the ACA, we have been training specialists in government agencies and private entities such as banks and other corporates. However, that’s not where it ends – we have been providing special trainings to specialist trainers within these organisations to ensure that they have the know-how and expertise they need to be autonomous. It’s important that organisations have the independence they need to secure their systems and processes from cyber-attacks.”
As part of the second objective, Thales is setting up a cyber-range platform, which is a simulator that allows candidates to proactively train against cyber-attacks in a controlled environment. “It is systems like these that define a best-practice or protocol that allow us to strengthen innovation, education and industry in the country,” he stated.
Going forward, Thales has pledged to strengthen Oman’s in-country capabilities. “Thales has a strong presence in various sectors, including defence, security, digital identity, aviation, and space. A core priority for us is to support the progress of the country against Vision 2040, and we do this through secure, decisive technologies that are effective for critical moments. This could be from proactive intelligence-gathering in times of peace, to early warning of emerging threats, and fast and decisive response in times of crisis to ensure anti access-air deny missions, or through technologically advanced solutions at airports and space stations. We work closely with key industry leaders on new technologies that strengthen Oman’s in-country capabilities across different fields,” Mordi added.
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