Gartner Forecasts Spending on Information Security in MENA to Grow 14% in 2025. - Gartner
Information security spending by Middle East and North Africa enterprises is projected to total $3.3 billion in 2025, an increase of 14% from 2024, according to the latest forecast from Gartner, Inc. Security software will remain the largest spending category in MENA, forecast to reach nearly $1.5 billion in 2025.
“Enhancing cyber resilience, regulatory compliance, and securing digital transformation are pivotal drivers prompting MENA chief information security officers (CISOs) to boost their security investments in 2025,” said Shailendra Upadhyay, Sr Principal at Gartner.
Shailendra Upadhyay at Gartner.
“As enterprises in the MENA region drive digital transformation and integrate AI, they must focus on the cybersecurity threat landscape, protect critical infrastructure, and address insider threats to fortify their systems and enhance resilience against cyber threats.”
Gartner analysts are exploring ways in which security and risk management leaders can enhance their cybersecurity strategies at the Gartner Security & Risk Management Summit, taking place here through today.
Spending on security services is projected to grow 16.6% in 2025, representing the highest growth among all segments, driven by factors such as cost efficiency, skill shortages, and access to advanced tools and technology.
Table 1. Information Security End-User Spending for All Segments in MENA, 2024-2025 (Millions of U.S. Dollars)
“The challenge of sourcing staff with specialized skills for threat hunting and intelligence in advanced security operations is considerable,” said Upadhyay. “Managed services - a subset of security services, including managed detection and response (MDR) - offer solutions to bridge this skill gap. As a result, organizations are investing more in security services, driving growth in this segment.”
Security software spending is projected to account for nearly 45% of total information security spending in MENA, maintaining its position as the largest category for end-user spending in 2025, driven by an expanding threat landscape and increased adoption of cloud technologies.
“MENA CIOs are boosting their investments in the integrated capabilities of generative AI (GenAI) applications, cloud services, and cybersecurity software to securely accelerate innovation for competitive differentiation, thereby intensifying their focus and spending on sub-segments, such as infrastructure protection, identity access management, and cloud security,” said Upadhyay.
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