Managed service providers (MSPs) in the United Arab Emirates are focusing on practical commercial priorities across cloud, security and data as hybrid IT becomes the default enterprise operating model, according to new research by Westcon-Comstor.
The global technology distributor has published survey findings exploring how MSPs and other specialist partners are adapting their services to support customers running complex, distributed IT landscapes across a combination of on-premises infrastructure, public cloud and private cloud environments.
Security and threat management emerged as the single biggest revenue opportunity arising from hybrid, cited by 23% of UAE-based partners (global average: 22%). This reflects continued customer investment in protecting data and workloads across mixed estates.
Cloud migration and ongoing cloud management followed at 19% (global average: 23%), with partners in the Emirates the most likely to point to governance and compliance consulting as a future revenue driver (17% versus 14% globally).
Respondents also pointed to data analytics, governance-led services and automation as areas of ongoing focus, as organisations lookto improve control and operational efficiency across hybrid environments.
The research forms part of Westcon-Comstor’s Future Ready programme and is based on a survey of 500 senior decision makers and technical leaders at MSPs and specialist partners across the UK, UAE, Spain, Australia and Singapore.
According to the research, the commercial opportunity for MSPs around hybrid is being driven by increasing technical and regulatory complexity. Nearly one in three (31%) of UAE respondents pointed to management of governance and compliance requirements as their biggest challenge in managing hybrid enterprise environments for customers – more than in any market and against a global average of 24%.
Meanwhile, 24% of UAE respondents highlighted automation of processes across hybrid systems as their biggest challenge (global average: 17%), with maintaining consistent security across environments (23%) and ensuring seamless data flow between platforms (22%) also flagged prominently locally.
The research suggests that MSPs able to address these challenges through standardised, governed services are better positioned tobuild recurring revenue and protect margins. Rather than treating integration, identity and policy enforcement as isolated tasks, leading partners are packaging these capabilities into repeatable managed services that deliver predictable outcomes.
Other key findings include:
- A record high 37% of UAE-based respondents (global average: 31%) said acting as a trusted advisor for hybrid technology strategy was their most critical function, suggesting customer expectations are reshaping the MSP role.
- 28% locally identified end-to-end management of hybrid systems as their most important role, in line with the global average and reflecting a shift away from implementation-led engagements towards long-term operational partnerships.
- 18% in the UAE (global average: 22%) pointed to the delivery of specialised services like security and compliance as their biggest strategic value-add.
- 56% of respondents in the Emirates said they partner with other MSPs or specialist providers to extend their capabilities (global average: 55%), illustrating that collaboration is emerging as a key enabler for scaling hybrid services.
“Against a challenging backdrop, customers in the UAE are placing a premium on governance and assurance in hybrid delivery, with compliance expectations shaping purchasing decisions,” said Renton D-Souza, Managing Director, Gulf at Westcon-Comstor. “MSPs that can combine advisory capability with day-to-day operational control are well positioned to translate this demand into longer-term, services-led engagements.”
