In this exclusive interaction with The Catalyst, Samer Diya, SVP of EMEA Sales at Forcepoint, shares his insights on the future of data protection, the evolving needs of the EMEA region, and the strategic priorities shaping Forcepoint’s next phase of growth.
With more than two decades of experience in the IT landscape, what major shifts have you observed in how organisations approach cybersecurity and digital transformation?
In recent years, data security has shifted from being a technical afterthought to a core business enabler. As organizations generate and consume more data than ever before, safeguarding it across every environment has become critical to enabling secure digital transformation.
Today, the need for continuous visibility, adaptive controls and automated protection is driven by hybrid work, cloud expansion and the rise of AI. This calls for a proactive, flexible security model purpose-built for AI-era threats, which is why our vision at Forcepoint is to deliver Data Security Everywhere—protecting data wherever it lives, whoever uses it and however it’s processed. Looking ahead, security will be increasingly about anticipating risks before they emerge, not just responding to them.
Being close to customers and partners is one of your top priorities. How does this influence Forcepoint’s strategy and growth in the EMEA region?
The EMEA region continues to be one of our fastest-growing markets, which is why staying close to customers and partners is central to that success. It allows us to truly understand their challenges, respond quickly and co-create solutions that deliver measurable impact.
This commitment translates into investing in local expertise, strengthening our physical presence, and ensuring our roadmap aligns with regional priorities—from data sovereignty and regulatory compliance to cloud adoption, AI adoption and more. Ultimately, our focus is on supporting enterprises and government entities with data-security-led programs that enhance risk visibility, protect sensitive information and support compliance with data residency requirements.
How is Forcepoint helping companies use technology to drive progress, overcome IT challenges, and build more resilient digital ecosystems?
We are helping organizations unlock the full value of their data while staying ahead of emerging risks. Security today must be as dynamic and adaptive as the technologies driving digital transformation—and that’s exactly what our Data Security Everywhere platform delivers.
By combining AI-powered discovery and classification, behavioral analytics and adaptive risk scoring into a single solution, we create a continuous, adaptive loop that identifies sensitive data, classifies it and prioritizes risks in real-time. This integrated approach simplifies security without limiting functionality—governing data seamlessly across files, databases, SaaS, AI environments and more. The result is that organizations can innovate confidently, knowing their data is protected across every touchpoint.
What does the future of secure access and data protection look like as hybrid work and cloud adoption continue to mature?
As users and data move across multiple environments, security policies must follow automatically and intelligently, without creating friction.
We’re seeing a clear shift toward consolidated platforms with integrated security services, where identity, behavior, and data sensitivity continuously shape access decisions. In a fully matured hybrid world, secure access will be dynamic for organizations and seamless for users. Data protection must be embedded into every workflow, strengthened by automation and AI, so businesses can scale securely without compromising speed. Ultimately, security must be an enabler of speed and trust, not a barrier.
What qualities do you value most in partners when it comes to driving shared growth and customer success?
With more than 95% of our business flowing through our partners, our channel ecosystem is central to our success. We value partners who share our commitment to advancing digital initiatives and building a trusted, collaborative environment for customers.
For us, it’s about strengthening relationships, building trust and driving long-term customer success—whether that means enabling data security across the cloud, SaaS or on-premises environments. When partners bring deep customer insight and align with our mission to deliver Data Security Everywhere, we achieve exceptional results together. Looking ahead, these qualities will continue to fuel innovation and shared growth across the region.
Please share insights about your key priorities for the coming year, and how do you plan to strengthen Forcepoint’s presence and impact across the EMEA region?
Organizations increasingly need visibility, context and automation to meet regulatory requirements and reduce risk. That’s why we’re focused on advancing our Data Security Everywhere architecture, enhancing AI-native data discovery and classification across diverse data types.
Across the region, we’ll strengthen partnerships to help organizations understand and protect their data at scale. By staying aligned with market needs and reinforcing the trust our clients place in us, our goal is simple: make security an enabler of transformation, so businesses can operate confidently and stay ahead in an evolving digital landscape.
As digital ecosystems continue to expand and data becomes the core currency of modern enterprises, the need for intelligent, adaptive and unified security has never been greater. The insights shared in this conversation reinforce a clear message: sustainable digital transformation demands security that is seamless, predictive and deeply integrated into every layer of the organization. With a data-centric mindset and collaborative ecosystem driving its approach, Forcepoint is shaping a future where businesses can innovate with confidence, scale securely and stay resilient in an increasingly complex cyber landscape.
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