UAE Information Assurance (NESA / IAS) Audit
Tier-1 to Tier-4 IA Standards audit for UAE critical sectors and federal entities.
Full UAE Information Assurance Standards audit — applicability and tiering, 60 management + 128 technical control assessment, sector-overlay alignment and submission pack for the Cyber Security Council / TDRA. Covers government entities, semi-government and Critical Information Infrastructure operators across energy, finance, telecom, transport and health.
- UAE Information Assurance Standards (latest published version)
- UAE Information Assurance Regulation
- Cyber Security Council National Cybersecurity Strategy
- TDRA sector cybersecurity directives
- Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Policy
- ISO 27001 / ISO 27002 (mapped)
- NIST SP 800-53 (mapped)
Compliance is leverage, not paperwork.
The framework originally published by the National Electronic Security Authority (NESA) is now maintained under the UAE Cyber Security Council with TDRA as the operational regulator — but the structure remains the IA Standards Tier-1 through Tier-4, with controls graded by sector criticality. UAE government entities, CII operators and their major suppliers are expected to evidence compliance as part of TDRA / sector-regulator audit cycles. Macksofy's IAS audit is sequenced the way the regulator reads it: priority controls, risk-based tier selection and technical evidence rather than narrative.
- UAE federal and emirate-level government entities
- Critical Information Infrastructure operators (energy, finance, telecom, transport, health)
- Semi-government entities and government-owned enterprises
- Strategic suppliers and managed-service providers to government / CII
- Large UAE enterprises adopting IAS voluntarily as a national baseline
- Cloud + data-centre operators hosting government workloads
Aligned to the regulations that matter.
How we run a UAE IAS engagement.
Interactive walkthrough — every phase clickable, every activity documented, every artefact regulator-ready.
1 · Tiering + scoping
- Sector + criticality assessment
- Tier-1 to Tier-4 control set selection
- Crown-jewel + CII asset identification
Everything you need to satisfy auditors.
- IAS tier classification + scoping memo
- Control-by-control compliance register (M1-M6, T1-T9)
- Technical validation report (VAPT + config audit)
- Risk treatment plan with priority + ETA
- Regulator submission pack (TDRA / sector regulator)
- Tabletop incident-response evidence
- Annual recertification plan
IAS Tier-1 audit + OT security uplift
Outcome: Closed all priority-1 gaps in two cycles; sector regulator accepted submission without follow-up queries
IAS + ISO 27001 unified audit
Outcome: Single evidence pack covered both regimes; recertification effort cut by an estimated 40%
The shape of a UAE IAS engagement.
Every number below is grounded in how Macksofy actually runs the engagement — not aspirational marketing copy.
What we actually examine.
Each pillar is a distinct workstream inside the engagement — scoped, evidenced, and signed off independently before the audit pack is assembled.
- Tiering & applicability3 pts
- Management controls (M1-M6)3 pts
- Technical controls (T1-T9)3 pts
- Incident response & continuity3 pts
- Sector overlay alignment3 pts
- Regulator submission pack3 pts
IAS controls scale by tier — Tier-1 to Tier-4 — and incorrect tiering inflates cost without lowering risk.
- Sector-criticality classification
- CII scoping + asset-criticality map
- Tier confirmation with sector regulator
The governance backbone the Cyber Security Council expects to see first.
- Strategy + risk-management evidence
- HR, awareness + third-party controls
- Asset + information classification
Hands-on testing against the 128 technical controls in the standard.
- Access control + cryptography
- Operations + communications security
- Physical + environmental controls
Detection, escalation and recovery walked end-to-end with table-top evidence.
- SOC + log-monitoring efficacy
- Tabletop drill with sector-specific scenarios
- BCP / DR with declared RTO + RPO
IAS rarely lives alone — banks add CBUAE, healthcare adds ADHICS, Dubai gov adds DESC ISR.
- CBUAE / DESC / ADHICS overlay map
- Single-evidence-pack design across regulators
- Free-zone vs mainland scoping
The format TDRA and sector regulators consume — control statement to evidence map.
- Control-statement to evidence map
- Findings register with severity + risk acceptance
- Inspector Q&A walk-through deck
From kick-off to regulator-ready report.
The horizontal flow below shows the typical week-by-week shape of a UAE IAS engagement. Click any station for detail in the methodology section above.
Rated 4.9 ★ from 612 client reviews.
“We've worked with three Big 4 firms before Macksofy. None found what their team did in our payments stack. The most actionable report we've received in a decade.”
“The CHFI training Macksofy delivered for our cyber cell raised investigation quality measurably. Practical, India-context-aware, and respectful of our operational realities.”
“Came in with zero security background. 5 weeks later I was running Burp Suite and Metasploit confidently. Cleared CEH on the first attempt.”
Things compliance leads ask before signing.
Get a fixed-price proposal in 48 hours.
Tell us about your security need — pentest, audit, training or a wider engagement. A senior consultant will reply within a few business hours.
- CERT-In Empanelled
- EC-Council ATC · CompTIA Authorized
- 20,000+ professionals trained
- India + UAE engagements