Magnom Properties and Leonardo partner to equip Forbes International Tower  

Magnom Properties, a subsidiary of Saudi Arabia’s Rawabi Holding, has announced its partnership with Leonardo, an Italian cyber and security solutions provider, at the World Defense Show 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The partnership will help develop and build a comprehensive and integrated cyber-physical security solutions for the upcoming Forbes International Tower, a futuristic, lifecycle net negative carbon commercial tower planned in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt.  

The partnership builds on Magnom Properties’ commitment to strengthen the resilience of its strategic assets and ensure the security of its digital and physical ecosystems to keep people, facilities and sensitive user and corporate data safe.

Leveraging Leonardo’s expertise in the design and delivery of tailored, intelligent solutions, Magnom Properties will draw on the strengths of machine learning models and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to address cyber security concerns and undertake de-risking strategies to boost operational efficiencies of the Forbes International Tower. Under its ‘security-first’ approach, Leonardo will deliver 24/7 monitoring services to ensure 100% secure solutions across the physical and digital domains of the zero-carbon tower.

Osman Ibrahim, CEO, Rawabi Holding and Vice Chairman, Magnom Properties, said; “The futuristic Forbes International Tower is testimony to our ambitious vision to build a smart, sustainable, technology-driven modern construction that will empower people to lead more fulfilling lives. Our partnership with Leonardo will further enable us to offer state-of-the-art technological innovations designed to enhance the security of strategic data as well as the physical structure and offer residents futuristic solutions tailor made for the world’s most future-ready tower. All this also aligns with our core mission to achieve the Kingdom’s 2030 vision through tactical collaborations and streamlined operations.”

Leonardo, a leading global player at the forefront of the aerospace, defence and security verticals, is recognised worldwide for its integrated high-tech solutions that support both military requirements and civil applications. Having implemented site-specific security solutions for critical public and private infrastructure across 46 countries, Leonardo’s partnership with Magnom Properties marks the first commercial tower to be equipped with the company’s advanced integrated solutions that offer a holistic approach to security.

Maged Marie, CEO, Magnom Properties, said: “As a futuristic, high-performance building, the Forbes International Tower aims to deliver highly reliable and secure next-generation solutions to enhance cybersecurity, improve operational efficiencies, and ensure business continuity. The new partnership allows us to integrate Leonardo’s leading technology portfolio into every aspect of operations to offer the first line of defence across the Tower’s physical and digital infrastructures, applications, and services. Artificial Intelligence and trailblazing autonomous solutions will further help the Forbes International Tower meet real-time security needs and respond to some of the most complex challenges of modern times.”

Luca Merando, Middle East Area Manager – Cyber & Security Solutions Division, Leonardo, said: “Tech security is an integral aspect of every futuristic building’s DNA. With Forbes International Tower, we are happy to come onboard to deliver a resilient digital security system that will be the first defence against any physical or cyber threats. At Leonardo we believe in a predictive and proactive approach to protect strategic data and assets. With the aid of Artificial Intelligence, Big Data and supercomputing techniques, among other operatives, we have built a potent mechanism to ensure the building’s technical and physical ecosystem remain uncompromised.”

As the digital landscape expands and advent of new technologies makes businesses more vulnerable to cyber threats, Leonardo’s IT/OT services will secure the high-value assets of the Forbes International Tower with round-the-clock monitoring solutions to protect sensitive data and ensure data privacy. The Italian firm’s high-performance computing infrastructure will also integrate Threat Intelligence into the cybersecurity framework to support (bolster/reinforce) prevention, management, and incident response.

Connecting all the various IT, security, AV and Building Management Systems (BMS) infrastructure networks together, Magnom Properties will be able to remotely control and monitor the building. This enables it to identify and assess security weaknesses and provide a clear and detailed security strategy for hardware, software, and operation of such solutions.

Leonardo’s distinctive knowledge of hybrid and multifaceted threats will govern its strategy of providing protection to other critical systems across the Forbes International Tower. Innovative security products and services such as access control, video surveillance, intrusion detection and mass communication systems will maximise safety and improve efficiency while an automated system will help analyse and detect temporal and spatial events around the tower.