The Digital Cooperation Organisation (DCO) based in Riyadh has announced plans to engage in urgent discussions with Member States and digital economy experts to address the impact of the recent global IT outage. The interruption significantly impacted crucial operations across various sectors, including airlines, banks, broadcasters, software providers, etc.
The organization decried the monumental impact the outage had in a very short time and emphasised the importance of a concerted global collaboration to prevent and mitigate any reoccurrence.
“The incident raised questions on continuity and sustainability in a world rapidly moving towards being highly dependent on digital channels and platforms. It is very crucial that the international community develops proper policies and protocols to mitigate the risks of such incidents and ensure the continuity of at least essential operations”, it said in a statement.
“We have to capture the lessons learned from this incident, assess its impact on national digital transformation plans, and plan practical steps to ensure that relevant stakeholders across sectors are aligned and ready to deal with such mishaps.” It added.
The Riyadh-based DCO is dedicated to fostering collaboration across various innovative fields and propelling the advancement of the digital economy. It was founded in November 2020 as part of Saudi Arabia’s initiatives during its presidency of the G20 to bolster the expansion of the digital economy and digital transformation across the globe.