[ISN] Security Services Heading for Boom Years

[InfoSec News]

http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=60569

Javid Hassan
Arab News
17th March 2005 

RIYADH, 17 March 2005 - With the demand for security products and 
systems expected to double or even treble this year from the current 
level of $200 million annually, security analysts say business 
inquiries are streaming in from two directions - IT-related security 
for Saudi firms and physical security for Western expatriates working 
in joint ventures.

"The political situation in the Middle East remains uncertain. As a 
result, every company with operations in the region, and especially in 
Saudi Arabia, recognizes the need for heightened security," said Neil 
Quilliam, senior analyst, Middle East, Control Risks Group, which 
maintains the largest presence in the Kingdom, where it supports major 
corporate and government clients in the oil, chemical and energy 
sectors.

Quilliam, now in Riyadh as a member of the British Water and 
Environmental Technologies Mission, worked for a year in Jeddah during 
the late 1990s. He feels that his stay in the Kingdom has enabled him 
to understand the dynamics of Saudi society and, therefore, the 
dimensions of security in a given situation.

"We are the world's leading international business risk consultancy 
operating in over 130 countries with more than 5,300 clients," he 
said, adding that their political analysts advise the client on likely 
developments over the medium- to long-term risk in Saudi Arabia. "Our 
Control Risks Information Service has helped clients stay abreast of 
developments and to plan journeys to meet Saudi counterparts in Riyadh 
and Alkhobar."

According to him, demand for security services will escalate in the 
Kingdom as it scouts for overseas investment.