Certes urges data-centric security and crypto-agility after breach-focused roundtable

The “Devalue the stolen data” roundtable, hosted by TahawulTech.com with Certes on 15 October 2026 at The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina, explored data-centric security, crypto-agility and quantum readiness link. Rami Nehme, Managing Director – META at Certes, said security leaders struggle to achieve post-quantum readiness across complex environments without disrupting operations.

Certes advocated a shift from perimeter-focused defence to protection that follows the data, emphasizing policy-driven cryptographic controls for data in motion across cloud, WAN, edge, OT and legacy systems. Simon Pamplin, CTO, added that CISOs can make stolen data unusable without replacing infrastructure by applying crypto-segmentation and centrally managed policies.

The discussion also covered “harvest now, decrypt later” threats, urging organisations to adopt advanced encryption, granular crypto-segmentation and customer-controlled key management. For UAE firms, Nehme outlined practical steps: map critical data flows, deploy Layer 4 payload encryption, and build evidence-based quantum-ready implementations.

Our read: Certes’ emphasis on data-centric controls aligns with a broader industry move toward resilience that measures breach impact by data value rather than perimeter breach alone. The focus on crypto-agility and evidence-backed quantum readiness offers a pragmatic path for organisations constrained by legacy stacks, though the success of such strategies will depend on measurable governance and auditability.