Last updated: July 2026

NESA / UAE IA Compliance Consulting

Looking for a NESA Compliance Consulting Company in the UAE? Pass Your Assessment. Keep Your Contracts.

We are a NESA compliance consulting company helping UAE critical national infrastructure operators, government entities, and their suppliers pass the UAE Information Assurance (IA) Standard assessment - without a chaotic multi-year program. Gap assessment against all 188 controls in about 2 weeks, phased remediation in weeks, and hands-on implementation with your team.

Led personally by an ex-Microsoft Security Consulting team member. Fixed-price proposal within 48 hours. You review the gap assessment report before you pay.

Book a Free NESA Compliance Strategy Call See the IT Security Audit Service

Gap assessment in ~2 weeks Fixed-price proposal in 48 hours Pay after you review the report 234 assessments, 14 countries

NESA compliance consulting company helping UAE entities pass their Information Assurance assessment

What Does a NESA Compliance Consulting Company Do?

A NESA compliance consulting company prepares your organization to meet the UAE Information Assurance (IA) Standard. It assesses your systems against the 188 controls the standard defines, finds every gap, implements the missing controls with your team, aligns your governance documentation, and supports you through the formal assessment.

The standard was issued by the National Electronic Security Authority (NESA), which now operates under the Signals Intelligence Agency (SIA) - the market still refers to it as "NESA compliance". For critical national infrastructure operators, government entities, and their suppliers across the UAE, it is a regulatory requirement, and non-compliance can mean penalties and loss of government contracts.

The UAE IA Standard at a Glance

The UAE Information Assurance Standard is the compliance baseline behind "NESA compliance". Here is what it covers.

188 Security Controls

The full set of controls defined by the UAE Information Assurance Standard.

4 Domains

Controls are organised across four domains covering the standard end to end.

All 7 Emirates

The standard applies to in-scope entities across the entire UAE.

CNI & Government

Mandatory for critical national infrastructure and government entities.

Our NESA / UAE IA Compliance Process

Five stages from first call to a passed assessment. The difference from most NESA compliance consultants is stage three: we implement the controls with you, not just tell you what is missing.

Scope and entity classification

We confirm whether you fall in scope of the UAE IA Standard as a critical national infrastructure operator, government entity, or government supplier, and define exactly which systems and data the assessment will cover.

Gap assessment against the 188 controls

We test your current environment against all 188 controls across the 4 domains and hand you a prioritized gap report in about 2 weeks, so you know exactly where you stand before committing to a remediation program.

Phased remediation and hands-on implementation

We implement the missing controls with your team, phased by risk so the highest-priority gaps close first. This is hands-on work - not a checklist handed back to you and left for your team to figure out alone.

Policy and documentation alignment

We write and align the governance documentation the standard requires - policies, procedures, and evidence records - so your control implementation is properly documented for review.

Assessment readiness and support

We prepare your evidence package, run an internal readiness review, and stay with you through the formal assessment process until you pass.

NESA / UAE IA Compliance Timeline

A realistic timeline for a first-time engagement. The gap assessment alone takes about 2 weeks - remediation is phased by risk after that.

Phase	Timing	Outcome
Scoping and entity classification	Week 1	Confirmed scope and applicable control set
Gap assessment	Weeks 1-2	Prioritized report of every gap against the 188 controls
Phased remediation and implementation	From Week 3, phased by priority	Controls implemented against the highest-risk gaps first
Policy and documentation alignment	Parallel to remediation	Governance documentation aligned to the standard
Assessment readiness and support	Ongoing until you pass	Evidence package ready and support through the formal review

How Much Does NESA Compliance Cost?

Unlike most NESA compliance consultants, we publish our starting price. Fixed-price proposals within 48 hours of your strategy call. No hourly billing, no surprises.

Gap Assessment

Assessment against all 188 controls and a prioritized roadmap.

From $3,000per engagement

Gap assessment against the 188 controls
Findings mapped to the 4 domains
Prioritized remediation roadmap
Delivered in about 2 weeks

Book Free Strategy Call

Zero-risk: you review the report before you pay.

Phased Remediation + Implementation

End to end: from gap assessment to a passed assessment.

Fixed priceproposal within 48 hours

Everything in the Gap Assessment
Hands-on control implementation with your team
Governance documentation aligned to the standard
Assessment readiness support
We stay until you pass

Book Free Strategy Call

Zero-risk: you review the report before you pay.

Who Needs NESA / UAE IA Compliance Consulting?

If any of these describe you, a NESA compliance consulting company is your fastest path to a passed assessment.

A critical national infrastructure operator required to demonstrate UAE IA Standard alignment

A UAE government entity that must maintain NESA / IA compliance to keep operating

A vendor or SaaS company whose government tender requires proof of NESA / IA alignment before award

A supplier renewing a government contract where compliance is a condition of renewal

An Abu Dhabi healthcare entity that also needs to align with ADHICS

A Dubai Government supplier that also needs to align with the DESC Information Security Regulation (ISR)

NESA / UAE IA vs ADHICS vs Dubai DESC ISR vs PDPL

UAE entities are frequently in scope for more than one framework at once. Here is how they relate.

Framework	Issued By	Applies To	Focus
UAE IA Standard (NESA)	NESA, now under the Signals Intelligence Agency (SIA)	Critical national infrastructure and government entities, all emirates	188 controls across 4 domains - the general UAE information assurance baseline
ADHICS	Department of Health, Abu Dhabi (DOH)	DOH-regulated healthcare entities in Abu Dhabi	Healthcare-specific information and cyber security controls
Dubai DESC ISR	Dubai Electronic Security Center (DESC)	Dubai Government entities and their suppliers	Information Security Regulation for the Dubai government ecosystem
UAE PDPL	UAE federal law	Any entity processing personal data of UAE residents	Personal data protection - fines of up to AED 5 million for violations

ISO 27001 provides a strong shared control base across all four of these frameworks. If you are in scope for more than one, mapping them together in a single engagement cuts duplicate assessment and remediation work.

Why Choose Atlant Over Other NESA Compliance Consultants

Most NESA compliance consultants sell you a checklist and disappear. Here is how we are different.

	Atlant Security	Typical NESA Consultant
Who does the work	A former Microsoft security consultant, personally	Junior or offshore staff you never meet
Time to gap assessment	About 2 weeks	Often 6-8 weeks before you see a report
Pricing	Fixed price - you review the report before you pay	Open-ended hourly billing
Control implementation	Hands-on - we implement the 188 controls with you	A checklist and advice, then you are on your own
Vendor neutrality	100% independent - zero software commissions	Often resells the GRC or security tool they recommend
Framework coverage	NESA / IA mapped alongside ISO 27001, ADHICS, and DESC ISR	Single-framework focus, duplicate work across regulations

Every engagement is led personally by a former Microsoft Security Consulting team member, CISSP certified - never delegated to junior staff

234 security assessments delivered across 14 countries since 2013

Gap assessment against the 188 controls delivered in about 2 weeks

Fixed-price proposal within 48 hours - you review the gap assessment report before you pay

100% vendor-neutral - we take zero commissions from any software vendor

Hands-on implementation of the 188 controls with your team, not a checklist handed back to you

We stay with you until you pass the assessment

We map NESA / UAE IA alongside ISO 27001, ADHICS, and Dubai DESC ISR to cut duplicate work where your organization overlaps frameworks

Alexander Sverdlov - Founder of Atlant Security and lead NESA compliance consultant

Every NESA Engagement Is Led by Alexander Sverdlov

Former Microsoft Security Consulting team member. CISSP certified. Secured nuclear energy infrastructure at Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation. Alexander has personally led 234 security assessments across 14 countries since 2013. At Atlant Security, the senior consultant who scopes your NESA / UAE IA engagement is the same person who implements the controls with your team - never handed to junior staff.

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We Already Publish UAE Compliance Guidance

Atlant Security regularly publishes UAE-specific compliance guidance for teams navigating NESA / IA and related regulation.

Stop Risking Your Government Contracts. Get NESA-Ready.

Book a free 30-minute strategy call with Alexander. We will discuss your entity, timeline, and exactly what it takes to pass your NESA / UAE IA assessment. Fixed-price proposal within 48 hours.

Book a Free NESA Compliance Strategy Call alexander@atlantsecurity.com

Zero-risk: you review the report before you pay.

Schedule Your Free NESA Compliance Strategy Call

Already Working Toward ISO 27001?

ISO 27001 provides a strong shared control base for NESA / UAE IA, ADHICS, and Dubai DESC ISR. If you are pursuing ISO 27001 alongside NESA compliance, we map both in one engagement to cut duplicate audit and remediation cost.

Learn about ISO 27001 Readiness

For small projects and ad-hoc work outside our pre-agreed packages or retainers, our standard hourly rate is $460.

NESA Compliance FAQ

What is NESA compliance?

NESA compliance refers to meeting the UAE Information Assurance (IA) Standard, originally issued by the National Electronic Security Authority (NESA). NESA now operates under the Signals Intelligence Agency (SIA), but the standard and the compliance requirement are still commonly called "NESA compliance" in the market. It requires in-scope entities to implement a defined set of security controls and demonstrate that implementation to the relevant authority.

What is the UAE Information Assurance Standard?

The UAE Information Assurance (IA) Standard is a set of 188 security controls organised across 4 domains. It was issued by NESA and applies to critical national infrastructure and government entities across all emirates. It sets the baseline for how in-scope organizations must protect their information systems and data.

Who must comply with NESA / UAE IA?

The UAE IA Standard applies to critical national infrastructure operators and government entities across all emirates. In practice, this also extends to vendors and suppliers to these entities, since government contracts and tenders increasingly require proof of NESA / IA alignment as a condition of doing business.

How many controls are in the UAE IA Standard?

The UAE IA Standard contains 188 security controls, organised across 4 domains. Atlant Security runs a full gap assessment against all 188 controls and gives you a prioritized report of where you stand.

How much does NESA compliance cost?

A NESA / UAE IA gap assessment from Atlant Security starts at $3,000. We provide a fixed-price proposal for remediation and implementation within 48 hours of your strategy call, scoped to your systems and the specific gaps we find. You review the gap assessment report before you pay for further work.

How long does NESA compliance take?

Atlant Security completes a gap assessment against the 188 controls in about 2 weeks. Remediation is phased by risk over the following weeks, with the highest-priority gaps addressed first. The total timeline depends on how many systems are in scope and how many gaps the assessment finds.

What is the difference between NESA, ADHICS and DESC ISR?

The UAE IA Standard (NESA) is the general UAE baseline for critical national infrastructure and government entities across all emirates. ADHICS is a healthcare-specific standard issued for entities regulated by the Department of Health in Abu Dhabi. Dubai DESC ISR is the Information Security Regulation issued by the Dubai Electronic Security Center for Dubai Government entities and their suppliers. An organization can be in scope for more than one at the same time, for example a healthcare provider in Abu Dhabi that is also a government supplier.

Do you also help with ADHICS or Dubai ISR?

Yes. Where an organization is in scope for ADHICS or the Dubai DESC Information Security Regulation alongside the UAE IA Standard, we map the overlapping controls in a single engagement, along with ISO 27001 where it applies, to cut duplicate assessment and remediation work.