Microsoft partner in Dubai
iConnect is a Microsoft Solutions Partner in Dubai, UAE. We deploy and manage Microsoft Defender, Entra ID, Purview, Intune and Sentinel for organisations across the UAE, and configure what your existing Microsoft 365 licensing already includes.
Our Microsoft partnership
iConnect holds active Microsoft Solutions Partner designations covering Security, Modern Work and Azure Cloud Infrastructure, listed on Microsoft's partner directory.
Our engineers hold individual Microsoft certifications including Security Operations Analyst, Azure Security Engineer Associate and Microsoft 365 qualifications, with more than a decade of delivery across Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the wider GCC. We cover the full lifecycle from licensing and architecture through deployment to managed operation.
Microsoft 365 E3 and E5 licences include security capability that is often left unconfigured. Every engagement starts with a licensing and entitlement review, so that configuration of what you already own is completed before any additional purchase is recommended.
Microsoft products we deploy
Your Microsoft licensing already includes much of this. We establish what you are entitled to before recommending anything additional, then configure it against the framework you report on.
How we deliver Microsoft
The first step establishes what your current Microsoft licensing includes. Capability that is already licensed but not configured is identified at this point, which determines what needs to be purchased before a proposal is written.
- Current subscriptions mapped against what each one actually includes
- Licensed capability that is not yet configured identified and listed
- Additional licensing recommended only where the gap is genuine
Current configuration is assessed across identity, mail, endpoint and data against Microsoft security baselines. Findings are ranked by exploitability and business impact, alongside the Microsoft Secure Score.
- Tenant settings that fall outside Secure Score are included in the assessment
- Secure Score actions are prioritised by the risk each one reduces
- Gaps documented against the framework you report on, so the output is usable evidence
Conditional Access, multi-factor authentication, legacy authentication blocking and privileged role management are configured. These controls address the most common routes into a Microsoft 365 tenant.
- Legacy authentication blocked, as it bypasses Conditional Access
- Break-glass accounts designed, excluded and monitored before any policy is enforced
- Conditional Access run in report-only mode first, so that policy effects are reviewed before enforcement
Threat policies, safe attachments and safe links, classification, labelling and retention are configured for your organisation. Data loss prevention runs in monitor mode first, so that enforcement does not interrupt legitimate work.
- Attack surface reduction rules moved from audit mode to block mode based on the audit data
- The sensitivity label set kept small so that it is applied consistently
- Data loss prevention kept in monitor mode long enough to identify the processes each rule affects
Workspace design, data connector configuration, analytic rules and initial playbooks. Retention is set against your compliance obligation, and ingestion is scoped so that the cost is predictable.
- Connectors selected for the detections they enable, as each one adds to ingestion cost
- Retention split between hot and archive tiers against obligation and cost
- Analytic rules tuned before handover, so that alert volume is manageable from go-live
Policy administration, incident handling, conditional access changes and posture review are handled by our team in Dubai, with monthly reporting and configuration revisited at agreed intervals.
- Incidents closed with a written verdict and the supporting evidence
- Conditional Access and data loss prevention policy reviewed as the environment changes
- Monthly reporting covers detections raised and detections suppressed
Microsoft and UAE regulatory requirements
UAE Information Assurance Standards
The IAS requires identity control, monitoring, data classification and incident response. Entra, Defender, Purview and Sentinel cover all four between them. Each configuration is mapped to the control it satisfies and documented as the work proceeds, so the evidence pack is available when an assessment is due.
UAE PDPL
Personal data across Microsoft 365 and Azure requires classification, retention and transfer controls. Purview policy is written against your lawful basis and the data categories you hold. Data subject request handling and the audit trail behind it are configured at the same time.
DESC ISR
Dubai government and semi-government bodies are examined on identity control, logging and retention. Sentinel retention is set to the period the standard requires, and identity evidence is produced on a schedule.
ADHICS and CBUAE
Abu Dhabi healthcare entities must demonstrate access control over patient information; financial institutions face Central Bank data protection mandates. Both are addressed in the configuration and evidenced in reporting.
Why organisations choose iConnect
Scoped before it is quoted
We establish what you run and which obligations apply before recommending modules, so you are not paying for capability that duplicates something already in place.
Configured for your environment
Policy is built around the systems you run and the way your teams work, not left on vendor defaults.
Local delivery and support
Deployment and support come from our team in Dubai, working your hours and your change windows.
Documented for assessors
Configuration is mapped to the UAE framework you report against and documented, so an audit becomes a retrieval exercise instead of a reconstruction.
Integrated with your estate
The platform sits alongside your identity, endpoint and infrastructure systems. We handle those integrations as part of the deployment.
Reviewed on a schedule
Estates change and attacker technique moves. Policy is revisited at agreed intervals, not left as it was at go-live.
What our clients say
“Whenever an issue arises, iConnect is there immediately: quick, efficient and proactive in keeping everything running without disruptions. iConnect has become a crucial part of our operations.”
Head of IT Infrastructure and Network SecurityDragon OilFrequently asked questions
Microsoft retired the Gold Partner and Silver Partner tiers in 2022 and replaced them with Solutions Partner designations. iConnect holds three active Solutions Partner designations: Security, Modern Work and Azure Cloud Infrastructure. These are the current equivalent of the former Gold Partner competencies and are listed on Microsoft's partner directory.
Yes. The Modern Work designation covers Microsoft 365, which includes the services previously sold as Office 365. iConnect delivers Microsoft 365 tenant provisioning, migration from on-premises Exchange, hybrid configuration, Intune device management, Purview data protection and ongoing administration for organisations in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the wider UAE.
A Solutions Partner has met Microsoft's verified thresholds for customer growth, technical skills and certifications, and holds active designations in named areas. iConnect holds three: Security, Modern Work and Azure Cloud Infrastructure. A reseller can sell Microsoft licences without holding any designation at all.
Our designations are listed on Microsoft's official partner directory under iConnect IT Business Solutions DMCC, covering Security, Modern Work and Azure Cloud Infrastructure.
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Defender XDR, Defender for Office 365 and Defender for Cloud; Microsoft Sentinel; Microsoft Entra ID with Protection, Governance and Privileged Identity Management; Microsoft Purview for information protection and data loss prevention; Microsoft Intune; Azure Backup and Site Recovery; and Exchange Online with Microsoft 365 Backup.
In many cases, no. Microsoft 365 E5 includes security capability across Defender, Entra, Purview and Intune that is often left unconfigured. iConnect reviews your entitlement and configures what the licence already includes before recommending additional spend.
Defender is an extended detection and response platform protecting endpoints, identities, cloud applications and email. Sentinel is a SIEM and SOAR platform that aggregates signals from across the environment, including Defender, Azure, on-premises systems and third-party tools. Most organisations run Defender first and add Sentinel when they need correlation beyond Microsoft products.
A Defender for Endpoint rollout for a mid-sized organisation of one hundred to five hundred users typically takes two to four weeks including configuration, policy tuning and onboarding. A Sentinel workspace with data connectors, analytic rules and initial playbooks typically takes four to eight weeks depending on the number of sources.
Yes. We configure each deployment against the framework that applies to you: the UAE Information Assurance Standards, DESC ISR for Dubai government and semi-government entities, CBUAE mandates for financial institutions, ADHICS for healthcare, and Purview retention and classification for organisations handling personal data under PDPL.
Yes. We are based in Jumeirah Lake Towers and deliver across the UAE including Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, with on-site capability across the Emirates and remote managed services available more widely in the GCC.
Talk to our team about your requirement
We’re happy to answer any questions you may have and help you determine which of our services best fit your needs.
Our Value Proposition
- Tailored Solutions for Your Organization
- Unbiased Expertise
- Proven IT Competence
- Outcome-Driven Approach
- Proactive Problem-Solving
- Transparent Processes
What happens next?
We’ll arrange a call at your convenience.
We do a discovery and consulting meeting
We’ll prepare a detailed proposal tailored to your requirements.