Saudi Startup CQR Launches AI-Powered FENNEC Platform for Critical Infrastructure Security

Editorial Team

Last updated 1-12-2025

3 min

Saudi cybersecurity firm CQR launches FENNEC to protect critical industrial infrastructure.

FENNEC uses AI for regulatory compliance and threat monitoring without disrupting existing operations.

The platform offers instant threat detection and smoother Zero Trust implementation than competitors.

Founded by Nasser Al-Dossary in 2023, CQR secured $3 million seed funding in 2025.

This marks a significant contribution to industrial cybersecurity as digital transformation accelerates.

CQR, a cybersecurity firm specializing in operational technology (OT), has officially launched FENNEC, a next-generation cybersecurity platform designed to protect the industrial backbone of Saudi Arabia and other critical infrastructure in the region. Designed and built locally by CQR and aligned with national mandates, FENNEC is the first platform of its kind to combine full-stack OT visibility with embedded AI monitoring, delivering up to 90% reduction in compliance effort for asset owners.

At a time when traditional IT tools remain ineffective in securing legacy infrastructure, FENNEC offers a Saudi-engineered, end-to-end solution tailored for complex OT environments, from oil and gas fields to water utilities and manufacturing plants. It integrates compliance automation, real-time threat detection, protocol-aware monitoring, and risk management into one modular system, shifting industrial cybersecurity from a reactive posture to active defense.

“This is exactly the kind of cyber-physical innovation our region needs—technology that understands the local environment and is capable of meeting it with precision,” said Shane Shin, Founding Partner at Shorooq. “FENNEC isn’t just a tool - it’s a strategic advantage for the operators securing our most vital infrastructure.”

FENNEC is designed with local and international standards compliance at its core. The platform natively supports NCA OTCC, Aramco’s SAEP-99, IEC 62443, and ISO 27001 frameworks. Bilingual audit reporting, automated evidence gathering, and pre-configured policy templates allow industrial operators to meet national security regulations without the usual manual burden. From day one, asset owners can achieve full visibility into compliance gaps across all zones and assets at scale.

Unlike IT centric monitoring systems, FENNEC was designed for OT and IOT infrastructure. Discovering and reporting vulnerabilities at software and firmware that lead to previously unidentified risks.

This embedded architecture also enables zero-trust enforcement and micro-segmentation without additional hardware or production downtime, delivering critical security outcomes without disrupting operations.

FENNEC’s built-in AI Monitoring and SOC Modules deliver continuous detection and response for both connected and air-gapped environments. Alerts are automatically correlated and mapped to MITRE ATT&CK for ICS, complete with AI-generated root cause analysis and response suggestions. All telemetry remains under the customer’s control, fully aligned with national data sovereignty policies.

FENNEC has already been piloted in energy and industrial facilities across Saudi Arabia. Operators reported a 90% reduction in audit preparation time, significantly faster mean-time-to-detection, and smoother coordination between IT and OT security teams.

As governments across the region escalate cybersecurity mandates for national infrastructure, FENNEC positions CQR at the forefront of this shift—redefining OT cybersecurity through local design, embedded intelligence, and policy-aligned automation.

🚀 Got exciting news to share?

If you're a startup founder, VC, or PR agency with big updates—funding rounds, product launches 📢, or company milestones 🎉 — AraGeek English wants to hear from you!