{"id":900811,"date":"2026-04-22T03:12:42","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T08:12:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/22\/middle-east-cios-move-from-cloud-first-to-sovereign-first-in-a-high-risk-digital-era\/"},"modified":"2026-04-22T03:12:42","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T08:12:42","slug":"middle-east-cios-move-from-cloud-first-to-sovereign-first-in-a-high-risk-digital-era","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/22\/middle-east-cios-move-from-cloud-first-to-sovereign-first-in-a-high-risk-digital-era\/","title":{"rendered":"Middle East CIOs move from cloud-first to sovereign-first in a high-risk digital era"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/HeroImages\/Dubai-skyline-UAE-Oleg-Zhukov-adobe_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg\" data-credit=\"Oleg Zhukov - stock.adobe.com\"  width=\"520\" height=\"173\" alt><\/p>\n<p>Oleg Zhukov &#8211; stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"content-header\">\n<h2>As artificial intelligence scales and regulatory pressure intensifies, resilience \u2013 not cost \u2013 is becoming the defining metric of enterprise technology strategy, says Nischal Kapoor, chief revenue officer at e&#038; enterprise<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"content-center\">\n<ul>\n<li><i data-icon=\"1\"><\/i><\/li>\n<li><i data-icon=\"2\"><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"contributors-block\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/rms\/computerweekly\/Andrea-Benito-Arauzo-140x180.jpg\" alt=\"Andrea Benito \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p><span>By<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.techtarget.com\/contributor\/Andrea-Benito\">Andrea Benito ,<\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Computer Weekly<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\n\tPublished: <span>21 Apr 2026 10:16<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<section id=\"content-body\">\n<p>For over a decade, enterprise technology strategy has focused on scale, efficiency and cost optimisation. That model is now under strain.<br \/>Across the Middle East, CIOs are confronting a new reality as geopolitical uncertainty, regulatory tightening, and deep digital dependencies expose structural risks in technology design and operation. The question is no longer how efficiently systems run, but whether they can continue to run amid disruption.<\/p>\n<p>Recent cloud outages and stricter regulations around data and artificial intelligence (AI) across the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have brought this into sharp focus. For organisations managing critical infrastructure, resilience is no longer theoretical; it is operational.<\/p>\n<p>This is driving a clear shift \u2013 from cloud-first to sovereign-first. Digital sovereignty is not just about data residency. It is about control over systems, operations and decision-making.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDigital sovereignty is ultimately about operational continuity,\u201d says Nischal Kapoor, chief revenue officer at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/366634839\/UAEs-e-enterprise-drives-growth-with-AI-and-sovereign-cloud\">e&#038; enterprise<\/a>. \u201cIf critical functions like security, identity and incident response are dependent on external jurisdictions, resilience is compromised.\u201d This broader view of sovereignty now spans four layers: data, infrastructure, operations and, increasingly, artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n<section data-menu-title=\"AI is accelerating the urgency\">\n<h2><i data-icon=\"1\"><\/i>AI is accelerating the urgency<\/h2>\n<p>While investment is growing rapidly, most organisations are still struggling to scale AI beyond pilots. The issue is not technology; it is integration. \u201cAI cannot deliver outcomes if it sits outside core business processes,\u201d Nischal explains. \u201cEnterprises don\u2019t need more tools. They need intelligence embedded into how they operate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To achieve this, AI must be local, trained on relevant data, governed by regulatory frameworks, and aligned with the regional context. Without this, scale remains elusive.<\/p>\n<p>This is driving a move away from massive, general-purpose AI models towards more efficient <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techtarget.com\/whatis\/definition\/small-language-model-SLM\">small language models (SLMs)<\/a> deployed directly at the operational edge. For example, an SLM in a factory can be expertly trained on a single task, such as listening to machinery to predict a failure. This approach provides immediate, secure insights without the cost, data privacy risks and resource-heavy footprint of larger models.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/rms\/computerweekly\/Nischal-Kapoor-eandenterprise-140x180px.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of Nischal Kapoor, chief revenue officer at e&#038; enterprise\">\n  <\/p>\n<p><span><strong><span>\u201cThe conversation has changed. It is no longer about cloud adoption; it is about ensuring your business can operate, no matter what happens externally\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><span>Nischal Kapoor, e&#038; enterprise<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>At the same time, the CIO mandate is expanding. Technology leaders are now accountable not just for uptime or cost, but also for resilience, compliance and business outcomes. Managing fragmented ecosystems of hyperscalers, software-as-a-service (SaaS) platforms and AI suppliers is becoming increasingly unsustainable.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCIOs want fewer partners who can deliver outcomes end-to-end,\u201d Nischal notes. This is driving the rise of integrated sovereign platforms \u2013 architectures that combine cloud, AI and cyber security \u2013 under a unified, locally governed model. Rather than replacing global providers, they orchestrate them while retaining control and accountability.<\/p>\n<p>There are trade-offs. Localisation can increase cost and complexity. But the economics have shifted. \u201cThe cost of disruption is now far greater than the cost of sovereignty,\u201d says Nischal. \u201cResilience, control and compliance are becoming non-negotiable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As regulation intensifies, the most effective approach may not be to regulate every individual AI application \u2013 an impossible task that would slow innovation. Instead, the focus should be on certifying the sovereign platforms on which these AI systems operate. By creating a \u201ctrust mark\u201d for the foundational infrastructure, regulators can establish a secure \u201csandbox\u201d where enterprises and developers can deploy AI solutions with confidence. This turns regulation into an accelerator for safe, trusted innovation.<\/p>\n<p>The future will not be purely global or local \u2013 it will be hybrid. Global platforms will drive innovation and scale, while local platforms ensure control and resilience.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe conversation has changed,\u201d Nischal concludes. \u201cThis is no longer about cloud adoption; it is about ensuring your business can operate, no matter what happens externally.\u201d For CIOs in the Middle East, sovereign-first is fast becoming the new baseline.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"DigDeeperSplash\">\n<h4>\n\t\t\t<i data-icon=\"m\"><\/i>Read more on Data centre<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><a id=\"DigDeeperItem-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/366640646\/The-UAE-CIO-From-technology-operator-to-digital-value-architect\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/visuals\/German\/Hero-Collaboration-ThurstanJam_peopleimages.com-07_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/visuals\/German\/Hero-Collaboration-ThurstanJam_peopleimages.com-07_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg 960w,https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/visuals\/German\/Hero-Collaboration-ThurstanJam_peopleimages.com-07.jpg 1280w\" alt ><\/p>\n<h5>The UAE CIO: From technology operator to digital value architect<\/h5>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a id=\"DigDeeperItem-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/366639610\/AI-workloads-force-a-fundamental-redesign-of-Middle-East-datacentres\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/HeroImages\/data-servers-code-datacentre-monsitj-adobe_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/HeroImages\/data-servers-code-datacentre-monsitj-adobe_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg 960w,https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/HeroImages\/data-servers-code-datacentre-monsitj-adobe.jpg 1280w\" alt ><\/p>\n<h5>AI workloads force a fundamental redesign of Middle East datacentres<\/h5>\n<div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/rms\/computerweekly\/Andrea-Benito-Arauzo-140x180.jpg\" alt=\"AndreaBenito \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p><span>By: <span>Andrea\u00a0Benito <\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a id=\"DigDeeperItem-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/366639621\/Resilience-under-pressure-How-regional-conflict-is-reshaping-the-Middle-East-tech-strategy\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/HeroImages\/Abu-Dhabi-city-roads-UAE-eranda-adobe_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/HeroImages\/Abu-Dhabi-city-roads-UAE-eranda-adobe_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg 960w,https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/HeroImages\/Abu-Dhabi-city-roads-UAE-eranda-adobe.jpg 1280w\" alt ><\/p>\n<h5>Resilience under pressure: How regional conflict is reshaping the Middle East tech strategy<\/h5>\n<div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/rms\/computerweekly\/Andrea-Benito-Arauzo-140x180.jpg\" alt=\"AndreaBenito \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p><span>By: <span>Andrea\u00a0Benito <\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a id=\"DigDeeperItem-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/feature\/Khaznas-NexOps-shift-signals-new-operating-model-for-AI-scale-infrastructure\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/HeroImages\/data-digital-world-machine-learning-artificial-intelligence-AI-GenAI-visoot-adobe_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/HeroImages\/data-digital-world-machine-learning-artificial-intelligence-AI-GenAI-visoot-adobe_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg 960w,https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/HeroImages\/data-digital-world-machine-learning-artificial-intelligence-AI-GenAI-visoot-adobe.jpg 1280w\" alt ><\/p>\n<h5>Khazna\u2019s NexOps shift signals new operating model for AI-scale infrastructure<\/h5>\n<div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/rms\/computerweekly\/Andrea-Benito-Arauzo-140x180.jpg\" alt=\"AndreaBenito \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p><span>By: <span>Andrea\u00a0Benito <\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/366641828\/Middle-East-CIOs-move-from-cloud-first-to-sovereign-first-in-a-high-risk-digital-era\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a><br \/>\n Tama Mote<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Oleg Zhukov &#8211; stock.adobe.com As artificial intelligence scales and regulatory pressure intensifies, resilience \u2013 not cost \u2013 is becoming the defining metric of enterprise technology strategy, says Nischal Kapoor, chief revenue officer at e&amp; enterprise By Andrea Benito , Computer Weekly Published: 21 Apr 2026 10:16 For over a decade, enterprise technology strategy has focused<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":900812,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[100444,4373,46],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-900811","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cloud-first","8":"category-middle","9":"category-technology"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/900811","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=900811"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/900811\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/900812"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=900811"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=900811"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=900811"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}