How long does a NESA compliance assessment take?

A full NESA IAS gap assessment typically takes 4 to 6 weeks. Secuara's engagement runs: Week 1 (kickoff and documentation review), Weeks 2–3 (assessment and technical verification), Week 4 (analysis and reporting), Week 5 (debrief and remediation planning).

✦ NESA Compliance UAE

NESA IAS Compliance Consulting
for UAE Organizations.

Q: Who must comply with NESA IAS in the UAE?

NESA IAS compliance is mandatory for organizations that own or operate Critical Information Infrastructure (CII) in the UAE. This includes entities in sectors such as government, telecommunications, energy, healthcare, banking, and transportation. Organizations connected to or supporting CII may also fall in scope depending on their role.

Q: What are the 188 NESA controls?

NESA IAS covers 188 security controls divided into 60 management controls (covering information security policy, risk management, supplier relationships, incident management governance, and compliance oversight) and 128 technical controls (covering access control, cryptography, network security, application security, endpoint protection, logging, and vulnerability management). Of these, 39 are Priority 1 (P1) controls — mandatory for all entities in scope regardless of size.

Q: What is the difference between a NESA assessment and NESA certification?

A NESA assessment (gap assessment) is a point-in-time evaluation of your controls against the 188 IAS requirements, producing a remediation roadmap. NESA certification or formal audit is conducted by NESA-approved auditors and results in an official compliance determination. Secuara conducts gap assessments and prepares organizations for formal audits — we do not conduct the official certification audit itself.

A complete gap assessment against all 188 NESA Information Assurance Standards controls. Delivered in 5 weeks with a prioritized remediation roadmap, control heatmap, and board-ready executive summary.

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188

Controls Assessed

P1 Mandatory Controls

5 wks

Delivery Timeline

100%

Senior-Led Delivery

✦ What is NESA Compliance

The UAE's mandatory cybersecurity framework — and why most organizations aren't ready.

The UAE National Electronic Security Authority (NESA) Information Assurance Standards (IAS) establish a mandatory baseline for organizations that own or operate Critical Information Infrastructure across the Emirates. The framework covers 188 controls in two categories: 60 management controls and 128 technical controls.

The 39 Priority 1 (P1) controls are non-negotiable — they must be implemented regardless of your organization's risk profile or sector, and they address 80% of identified cybersecurity threats. These are the first controls a regulator will check.

In practice, most UAE organizations that fall in scope have meaningful P1 gaps — because a proper assessment was never conducted, or because previous work was superficial. A single engagement that surfaces and prioritizes those gaps changes the entire compliance posture.

NESA compliance dashboard showing control assessment status

✦ What Secuara Delivers

A NESA gap assessment that tells you exactly what to fix — and in what order.

Control-by-control evaluation: all 188 IAS controls assessed (Met / Partial / Not Implemented)
Priority tier analysis: P1 through P4 status with risk scoring per control
Technical verification: configuration reviews, log analysis, tool output evidence
Stakeholder interviews: IT, Security, and Compliance leadership mapped to controls
Control heatmap: visual RAG status across all 188 controls in Excel format
Prioritized remediation roadmap: action items ranked by risk impact and implementation effort
Executive summary: board-ready PDF presentation with maturity scores per domain
Debrief session: findings walkthrough with your team, Q&A, and remediation planning

✦ Typical engagement: 5 weeks from signed SOW

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✦ Assessment Phases

Week 1 — Kickoff & Documentation

Stakeholder interviews, policy collection, asset inventory review

Weeks 2–3 — Assessment

Control-by-control evaluation, technical verification, evidence review

Week 4 — Analysis & Reporting

Gap analysis, risk scoring, remediation roadmap, executive summary

Week 5 — Debrief

Findings presentation, Q&A, remediation planning session

✦ Who Needs NESA Compliance

Is your organization in scope?

Government & Public Sector

All government entities and their technology suppliers operating critical systems fall in scope for NESA IAS.

Healthcare Providers

Hospitals, clinics, and healthcare organizations processing patient data are subject to NESA IAS requirements alongside UAE DPL and sector-specific ADHICS standards.

Banking & Financial Services

UAE financial institutions operate under NESA IAS alongside CBUAE cybersecurity requirements and, where applicable, DIFC or ADGM data protection rules.

Energy & Utilities

Organizations in the energy, water, and utilities sectors operating critical infrastructure have mandatory NESA compliance obligations.

Technology & Cloud Providers

Technology companies providing services to government or critical sectors, and cloud service providers seeking DESC certification, must demonstrate NESA IAS alignment.

Government Contractors & Suppliers

Organizations supplying services or technology to UAE government entities are increasingly required to demonstrate NESA compliance as a contract condition.

✦ Client Outcome

NESA assessment in action.

UAE Healthcare Provider

Full NESA/SIA IAS assessment, board-ready in 6 weeks

All 188 controls mapped, prioritised, and reported. Executive summary delivered for board presentation and regulator readiness. 14 P1 gaps surfaced and remediated within 8 weeks of delivery. Client achieved full P1 compliance ahead of a regulatory review.

Client details anonymised. Available on request under NDA.

✦ Frequently Asked Questions

NESA Compliance — Common Questions

Who must comply with NESA IAS in the UAE?

NESA IAS is mandatory for organizations that own or operate Critical Information Infrastructure (CII) in the UAE. This covers government, telecommunications, energy, healthcare, banking, and transportation. Organizations connected to or supporting CII may also fall in scope depending on their role and data flows.

What are the 188 NESA controls?

NESA IAS covers 188 controls split into 60 management controls (policy, risk management, supplier relationships, incident governance) and 128 technical controls (access control, cryptography, network security, application security, endpoint protection, logging). 39 of these are Priority 1 (P1) — mandatory for all in-scope entities, addressing 80% of identified threats.

What is the difference between a NESA assessment and NESA certification?

A gap assessment evaluates your controls against the 188 IAS requirements and produces a remediation roadmap. Official NESA certification or audit is conducted by NESA-approved auditors and results in a formal compliance determination. Secuara prepares organizations for formal audits — we do not conduct the official certification audit itself.

How much does a NESA compliance assessment cost?

Secuara's NESA IAS gap assessments are fixed-scope engagements priced based on organization size and complexity. Typical engagements range from AED 25,000 to AED 80,000 for the full 188-control assessment including all deliverables. Contact us for a specific quote — we provide transparent pricing with no surprises.

NESA IAS Compliance Consultingfor UAE Organizations.