WatchGuard Technologies has strengthened its Middle East and Africa (MEA) leadership with the appointment of Rabih Itani as Regional Director. The move comes as the region’s cybersecurity market enters a high-growth phase, driven by rapid digital transformation across sectors.
MEA cybersecurity market poised for strong growth
The Middle East cybersecurity market is expected to more than double over the next decade. It is projected to grow from USD 16.72 billion in 2025 to USD 37.22 billion by 2034, according to Market Data Forecast.
This surge reflects rising investments in digital infrastructure across finance, healthcare, energy, and government. As organisations scale their digital operations, they are also prioritising cyber resilience. Consequently, demand for unified and scalable security platforms continues to rise across the MEA region
Leadership role to drive regional expansion
In his new role, Itani will report to Frederic Saint-Joigny, Vice President for EMEA. He will lead go-to-market strategy across MEA while focusing on revenue growth and deeper regional engagement.
Moreover, he will expand WatchGuard’s direct presence and strengthen its partner ecosystem. This includes distributors, managed service providers (MSPs), and resellers. At the same time, he will accelerate adoption of the company’s Unified Security Platform across the region.
Saint-Joigny emphasised that MEA remains a key growth market. He added that Itani’s regional expertise and leadership experience will support WatchGuard’s expansion and partner-first strategy.
Industry veteran with deep regional expertise
Itani brings extensive experience across the ICT and cybersecurity ecosystem. Notably, he has worked as a customer, integrator, and technology provider, giving him a well-rounded industry perspective.
Previously, he served as Regional Director at CyberKnight. He also held leadership roles at Vectra AI.
In addition, he spent nearly a decade at Aruba Networks, a part of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, where he led initiatives across security, SD-WAN, and telecom sectors.
Earlier in his career, Itani worked at American University of Beirut, where he directed data communications and security operations. He also held technical roles at Extreme Networks and Computer Network Systems.
Focus on partner ecosystem and platform adoption
Commenting on his appointment, Itani said he is joining WatchGuard at a critical time. Cybersecurity and digital transformation, he noted, are now top priorities for businesses across MEA.
He highlighted the opportunity to help organisations adopt advanced security solutions. Furthermore, he stressed the importance of enabling partners to deliver measurable value through WatchGuard’s platform-led approach.
WatchGuard bets on unified, AI-powered cybersecurity
WatchGuard continues to position itself as a global leader in unified cybersecurity solutions designed for MSPs. The company’s AI-powered Unified Security Platform integrates network, endpoint, and identity protection within a single architecture.
As a result, MSPs can reduce operational complexity while improving security outcomes. Currently, WatchGuard supports over 25,000 MSPs, securing more than 1.5 million customers worldwide.
