UAE Cybersecurity Council and Veeam sign deal to support cyber resilience and skills development

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

The UAE Cybersecurity Council and Veeam Software, the Data and AI Trust Company, on Monday announced a partnership to strengthen cyber resilience, support capacity building, and accelerate the adoption of trusted data and AI-ready security practices across the United Arab Emirates. The partnership supports the Council's vision of advancing national cyber readiness, knowledge sharing, skills development and operational resilience.

The partnership establishes a framework for cooperation across cybersecurity training, technical exercises, resilience preparedness, research and development, and strategic stakeholder engagement. It supports initiatives focused on professional development, cyber awareness, knowledge transfer and practical capability development to help organisations prepare for, respond to and recover from cyber incidents. Areas of cooperation include joint workshops, training programmes, technical working sessions, exercises and the exchange of expertise and best practices in information security and resilience.

“The UAE remains committed to building a secure, resilient and future-ready digital ecosystem,” said Dr Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, Head of Cybersecurity for the UAE Government. “Our partnership with Veeam reflects the importance of trusted public-private collaboration in strengthening national cyber resilience, advancing cyber recovery capabilities and supporting the secure adoption of AI and digital technologies. Together, we will contribute to practical skills development, stronger organisational readiness and a more resilient digital future for the UAE.”

“The UAE continues to set the standard for cybersecurity leadership and innovation across the region,” said Amin Hanafieh, Regional Director, Middle East & CIS at Veeam. "We are honoured to establish a partnership with the UAE Cybersecurity Council to help strengthen cyber resilience, advance cybersecurity skills development and support organisations in building secure, recoverable and resilient digital environments. Together, we can help organisations strengthen their recovery readiness and establish the trusted foundation needed to embrace emerging technologies and AI with confidence.”

“Across the Middle East, organisations are accelerating digital transformation, cloud adoption and AI initiatives at unprecedented speed," said Mena Migally, Regional Vice President, for EMEA East at Veeam. "As AI adoption increases, cyber resilience and trusted data become foundational requirements for sustainable innovation. This partnership reflects our long-term commitment to supporting the UAE's cybersecurity ambitions while helping organisations build the governance, resilience and recovery capabilities required to innovate with confidence.”

The partnership aligns with the UAE Cybersecurity Council's Centre of Excellence framework, which aims to strengthen national cyber capabilities through capacity building, emerging technology development, governance initiatives and strategic public-private partnerships. The framework focuses on developing sustainable cybersecurity capabilities through training, certifications, cyber simulations, readiness exercises and innovation programmes.

As part of the Centre of Excellence, Veeam will contribute training and certification programmes, executive briefings, technical workshops and recovery exercises to the Council's national capability development priorities. Specific areas include role-based learning pathways, simulation environments, practitioner enablement programmes and initiatives to advance trusted, governed data practices across public and private sector organisations, drawing on Veeam's expertise in cyber recovery, data resilience and AI-ready security.

The partnership further reflects Veeam's long-term commitment to the UAE, including continued investment in local talent, expertise and regional delivery capabilities. Through this collaboration model, both organisations will work to support national cybersecurity priorities and deliver measurable outcomes that strengthen resilience across the UAE and the wider region.