82% of UAE Business Leaders Rethink Technology Spend as AI Adoption Accelerates

SISGAIN Technologies, an IT and software engineering company with a regional presence in the UAE, today shared its perspective on the reported findings of Dell Technologies’ Modern Enterprise Readiness Study 2026 and what they signal for the UAE’s enterprise technology landscape.

According to published reports, nearly eight in 10 UAE business and IT leaders are reassessing their technology investments as they balance rapid AI adoption with economic uncertainty and pressure to show measurable business value. The study was released at the Dell Technologies Forum in Dubai.

SISGAIN views the findings as evidence of outcome-led enterprise technology: spending directed at initiatives that improve efficiency, resilience and return on investment, rather than at technology for its own sake.

What Has Been Reported

According to published reports, the study found the following:

Key points:

• Selective, not reduced: 82% of leaders are more selective about technology investments, directing spend toward efficiency, resilience and ROI.
• Security as a brake on AI:68% report that security and compliance concerns have already slowed or delayed AI initiatives.
• Fewer vendors:86% prefer a single strategic partner for more of their technology needs.
• Resilience as a buying criterion:94% consider integrated data protection and cyber recovery important in infrastructure decisions.
• Devices matter:66% say outdated devices limit new technology adoption.
• Source note: these are Dell’s reported findings. SISGAIN has not independently verified them, and the study’s methodology was not detailed in the source reporting.

From AI Experimentation to Business Value

The study indicates that UAE organisations are moving beyond AI experimentation toward practical deployment. Leaders are under pressure to show that AI investment translates into operational efficiency, better decision-making and measurable commercial outcomes.

Speaking at the forum, Mohammed Amin, Senior Vice President, CEEMETA at Dell Technologies, said AI returns will vary by organisation, depending on digital maturity, infrastructure readiness and speed of adoption. He cited the high cost of AI and the shortage of skilled talent as two major barriers, while noting that falling usage costs could make the technology more accessible.

Amin also pointed to the rise of AI agents, which are evolving from tools that answer questions into systems that complete more complex business tasks. Organisations, he said, now need to consider how to combine human workers with AI agents.

Varun Arora, Director of Innovation & Growth, SISGAIN Technologies, said:

“The most telling number is not the 82% itself, it is what sits behind it. UAE leaders are not asking whether to invest in AI, they are asking what it will return and how safely it can run. Measurable value and built-in security are what separate a pilot that scales from one that stalls.”

Agentic AI and New Business Models

Adrian McDonald, President of EMEA at Dell Technologies, described AI as part of an accelerating digital revolution that could create entirely new business models. He suggested affordable AI tools could give smaller businesses and individual entrepreneurs access to capabilities once limited to larger organisations, including product development, marketing, customer research and pricing analysis.

McDonald also acknowledged uncertainty over whether AI-driven automation will create enough jobs to replace those displaced, noting that AI expansion could raise demand for infrastructure and technical-skills roles, such as electricians, plumbers and construction workers.

Cybersecurity Becomes an AI Constraint

Security emerged as one of the biggest factors shaping UAE AI adoption. Beyond the 68% reporting delays, 94% view integrated data protection and cyber recovery as important when assessing infrastructure platforms, and 90% expect security to be part of every strategic partner proposal.

At the forum keynote, Mohamed Al-Kuwaiti, Head of Cybersecurity for the UAE Government, warned that threats are growing more sophisticated through AI-enabled phishing, deepfakes, social engineering and malicious software. He said the UAE faced between 600,000 and 800,000 daily cyberattacks on critical infrastructure, including energy facilities and ports, during a period of heightened threat activity.

He added that the UAE is strengthening sovereign cybersecurity capabilities and early-warning systems, including a national Security Operations Center connecting public and private entities. The forum also showcased the newly launched UAE National Vault, developed by Dell Technologies, CPX and the UAE Cyber Security Council.

Demand for Simplified Technology Partnerships

With 86% of UAE leaders preferring a single strategic partner, organisations appear to be seeking fewer vendors, integrated solutions and clearer accountability across infrastructure, AI, devices and security. The 78% expecting to use more managed security services over the next two to three years points the same way.

Amin acknowledged the risk of over-dependence on major technology providers, but said customer choice and industry collaboration remain essential, adding that AI delivery requires partnerships across the technology ecosystem.

What This Means for the UAE’s Technology Ecosystem

For organisations in the UAE and GCC, the findings carry several practical signals:

• ROI-led AI: AI use cases will increasingly be prioritised by their efficiency, revenue or customer-experience impact.
• Security by design: compliance, data protection and cyber recovery are becoming conditions for AI approval, not afterthoughts.
• Partner consolidation: buyers want integrated delivery and clear accountability, which favours partners with engineering depth across several domains.
• Modern endpoints: device refresh and AI-ready workplace technology are moving up the agenda.
• Workforce readiness: AI skills and human-AI collaboration models are now part of the investment case.

SISGAIN Technologies provides AI development solutions in Dubai, including AI Agents / Copilot Development, RAG Solutions, Cybersecurity Services and AI Consulting, for organisations building secure, production-ready AI systems across sectors including government, healthcare and financial services.

Methodology: The Detail to Watch

Published reports present the headline findings, but the source coverage does not state the study’s sample size, respondent profile, markets covered or fieldwork dates. Those details affect how far the figures can be generalised. Organisations citing the study should confirm its methodology directly with Dell Technologies before relying on it.

Before committing AI budgets, SISGAIN recommends asking:

1. Which AI use cases have a defined, measurable business outcome?
2. Is security and compliance built into the programme from the start?
3. Is current infrastructure and endpoint hardware ready for AI workloads?
4. Does a single-partner model reduce complexity without creating over-dependence?

What Organisations Should Do Now

Businesses and public-sector teams in the UAE can take the following steps:

1. Tie every AI project to a measurable outcome, such as cost, speed, revenue or customer experience.
2. Embed security from the outset, including compliance, data protection and cyber recovery.
3. Audit legacy devices and infrastructure, identifying what limits AI adoption.
4. Consolidate vendors where it reduces complexity, while keeping customer choice and exit options.
5. Evaluate managed security services, particularly where in-house talent is scarce.
6. Invest in workforce readiness, including AI skills and human-AI collaboration.
7. Choose a partner with engineering depth. An experienced software development company in Dubai can connect AI to existing ERP, CRM and data platforms.

The significance of the findings extends beyond a single survey. They reflect a direction of travel toward UAE enterprise technology that is outcome-driven, secure by design and simpler to manage.

These observations are forward-looking and should not be interpreted as predictions of specific outcomes. Survey findings reflect the views of respondents at the time of the study and do not guarantee results in any individual organisation.

About SISGAIN Technologies

SISGAIN Technologies is an IT and software development company in Dubai delivering AI development solutions in Dubai and intelligent solutions, application development, healthcare technology, enterprise and product engineering, cybersecurity, cloud and infrastructure, digital transformation, UI/UX and QA, and consulting services.

The company works with organisations across the USA, UAE, UK, Canada and other international markets, with an office in Dubai, UAE.

Learn more at SISGAIN Technologies.

This press release is issued by SISGAIN Technologies. Details about Dell Technologies’ Modern Enterprise Readiness Study 2026, the Dell Technologies Forum and the statements of the individuals quoted are based on information published by third-party media and have not been independently verified by SISGAIN Technologies. SISGAIN is not affiliated with Dell Technologies. Forward-looking statements represent observations about emerging technology trends and are not predictions of specific outcomes.