The Cyber Warriors Power List highlights the most influential figures shaping the future of cybersecurity. These leaders, innovators, and disruptors are redefining digital security, combating emerging threats, and driving technological advancements in a rapidly evolving landscape. Ziad Nasr, General Manager, Acronis Middle East, shares insights into how Acronis is leveraging AI-driven solutions to tackle sophisticated cyber risks. From extended detection and response to proactive threat intelligence, Acronis is ensuring businesses remain resilient amid increasing cyber threats across the UAE and beyond.
Acronis Middle East – Ziad Nasr, General Manager
What innovative cybersecurity solutions does Acronis offer, and how do they address the region’s unique challenges?
Acronis has expanded its cybersecurity portfolio with Acronis XDR (Extended Detection and Response), designed to enhance protection beyond traditional Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR). Tailored for Managed Service Providers (MSPs), it integrates AI-driven incident analysis, automated recovery, and multi-layered security within a single, natively integrated platform.
With the UAE facing increasing cyber threats from nation-state actors, AI-driven phishing, and ransomware, critical sectors such as infrastructure, finance, and energy remain prime targets. Acronis XDR addresses these challenges with AI-powered detection, automated threat response, and a proactive security approach, ensuring organisations can mitigate risks and enhance resilience while supporting the UAE’s digital transformation.
How is Acronis leveraging advanced technologies to combat emerging threats such as AI-powered cyberattacks or sophisticated vulnerabilities?
Acronis leverages AI-driven automation, machine learning, and advanced threat intelligence to combat AI-powered cyberattacks and sophisticated vulnerabilities. Its AI-driven XDR solutions provide real-time threat intelligence, enabling security teams to identify, analyse, and mitigate attacks within seconds. These systems proactively strengthen security configurations, ensuring organisations are protected against evolving cyber threats rather than relying solely on reactive detection.
To address increasingly complex attack vectors, Acronis is pioneering autonomous Security Operations Centres (SOCs) that automate incident investigation and response, minimising the need for extensive human intervention. The company enhances security visibility across cloud, endpoint, and network environments for a proactive defence.
As AI-powered attacks grow in sophistication, Acronis continues to innovate, developing predictive analytics and automated remediation solutions to protect businesses from advanced malware, deepfake phishing, and zero-day exploits. This holistic, AI-driven approach ensures organisations remain resilient against emerging cyber threats.
How can cybersecurity effectively tackle challenges related to AI misuse and malicious online activities?
Cybercriminals are leveraging AI-generated malware, disinformation campaigns, and automation to breach systems faster and more efficiently than ever before. To counter these threats, cybersecurity must incorporate AI-driven defence mechanisms to detect and mitigate attacks in real time.
Acronis integrates AI-driven detection, behavioural analysis, and machine learning models to combat emerging threats. Additionally, AI-powered threat hunting, automated incident summaries, and script generation enable security teams to accelerate response times and neutralise threats before they cause harm.
As AI continues to be weaponised by cybercriminals, proactive cybersecurity strategies, AI-enhanced defences, and continuous innovation are essential to staying ahead of AI-driven cyberattacks and malicious online activities.
Can Acronis share a recent case study or success story demonstrating the impact of its solutions?
Creative Zone, one of the UAE’s leading business setup advisory firms, required a reliable backup solution to protect its Microsoft 365 data. Facing limitations with Microsoft’s native recovery options, the company sought a comprehensive solution to ensure business continuity and data security.
By implementing Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud, Creative Zone gained automated, user-friendly Microsoft 365 backups with enhanced protection against data loss and cyber threats. The solution’s centralised management and fast recovery capabilities improved operational efficiency while ensuring compliance. As a result, Creative Zone now benefits from a secure, seamless backup experience that safeguards critical business data.
What current industry trends are driving cybersecurity strategies, and how is Acronis preparing for the future?
Cybercriminals are leveraging large language models (LLMs) and AI-driven malware to automate attacks, making deepfake phishing, zero-day exploits, and ransomware more effective. Additionally, supply chain vulnerabilities and Living-off-the-Land (LOL) attacks allow adversaries to bypass traditional security measures, while the exponential growth of IoT devices creates new attack surfaces. As businesses increasingly rely on SaaS and cloud platforms, cybercriminals are shifting their focus to identity-based attacks and data exfiltration techniques.
To combat these evolving threats, Acronis is investing in AI-powered threat detection, automated response solutions, and real-time security intelligence. By integrating behavioural analysis and machine learning, Acronis enhances threat visibility across endpoints, cloud environments, and networks. Advanced Zero-Trust principles ensure that access controls remain stringent, even as attack strategies grow more complex.
How is the role of cybersecurity evolving in a hyperconnected digital world?
Cybersecurity is shifting from a reactive defence mechanism to a proactive, AI-driven security framework that safeguards cloud environments, IoT devices, and critical infrastructure. As attack surfaces expand, traditional security models are no longer sufficient, necessitating Zero-Trust Architecture, AI-powered threat detection, and automation to counter sophisticated cyber threats.
The growing risks of AI-generated malware and deepfake disinformation will also drive organisations to adopt advanced verification and authentication measures. Cybersecurity will evolve beyond breach prevention to ensuring digital trust, compliance, and resilience.
Ziad Nasr, General Manager, Acronis Middle East, told Tech Revolt: “As cyber threats grow more sophisticated with AI-driven attacks, ransomware, and zero-day exploits, businesses must adopt advanced security solutions and proactive threat intelligence to stay protected. While prevention is critical, organizations must also be prepared to respond and recover swiftly. At Acronis, we integrate cybersecurity and data protection to ensure resilience against sophisticated attacks, supporting the UAE’s vision for a secure digital future.”
