Microsoft partner in Dubai
We configure Defender, Entra, Purview and Sentinel properly. Most organisations already own far more security capability than they have switched on.
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.
The pattern we see most often is an organisation paying for capability it has never enabled. A licensing review followed by proper configuration usually delivers more than buying another product, so that is where we start, before anything is quoted.
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
We establish what your current licensing already includes. This routinely identifies capability you are paying for and have never enabled, which changes what needs buying before any proposal is written.
- Current subscriptions mapped against what each one actually includes
- Capability you already own but have never switched on identified and listed
- Additional licensing recommended only where the gap is genuine
Current configuration is assessed across identity, mail, endpoint and data against the baselines that matter. Findings are ranked by exploitability, not by the points a secure score awards, because the score rewards actions that do not always reduce risk.
- The assessment covers tenant settings that never appear in a secure score at all
- Secure score actions that do not reduce real risk are named, so effort is not spent on them
- 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 properly. This is where the majority of Microsoft 365 compromises are prevented.
- Legacy authentication blocked, since it bypasses conditional access entirely
- Break-glass accounts designed, excluded and monitored before any policy is enforced
- Conditional access run in report-only mode first, so nobody is locked out at go-live
Threat policies, safe attachments and links, classification, labelling and retention are built for your organisation. DLP runs in monitor mode first so enforcement does not block legitimate work.
- Attack surface reduction rules moved out of audit into block on evidence
- Labels kept few enough that people apply them correctly
- DLP left in monitor mode long enough to surface the processes a rule would break
Workspace design, data connector configuration, analytic rules and initial playbooks. Retention is set against the obligation first and the cost second, and ingestion is scoped so the bill stays predictable.
- Connectors chosen for detection value, because every one of them adds to the bill
- Retention split between hot and archive tiers against obligation and cost
- Analytic rules tuned before handover, so the queue is workable on day one
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 a reviewer can follow
- Conditional access and DLP policy revisited as things change
- Monthly reporting covers what was suppressed as well as what was raised
Microsoft and UAE regulatory requirements
UAE Information Assurance Standards
The IAS expects identity control, monitoring, data classification and incident response. Entra, Defender, Purview and Sentinel cover all four between them. We map each configuration to the control it satisfies and document it as we go, so the evidence pack exists before the assessor asks rather than being assembled under time pressure afterwards.
UAE PDPL
Personal data across Microsoft 365 and Azure needs classification, retention and transfer controls. Purview policy is written against your lawful basis and the categories you hold, not a template. Data subject request handling and the audit trail behind it are configured at the same time, because that is where the obligation becomes operational.
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 rather than the cheapest one, and the 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
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.
Frequently not. E5 includes a great deal of security capability that is commonly left unconfigured. We review your entitlement and configure what you already own before recommending additional spend, and will tell you plainly when nothing further is needed.
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.
