Photo: TimeBusinessNews / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
The United Arab Emirates has announced a partnership with Dell Technologies and cyber-security firm CPX to advance a proposed National Vault designed to protect mission-critical national data.
A recovery layer for essential services
The UAE Cyber Security Council said the initiative would add a further protection and recovery layer for operational data used in government services, energy, healthcare, transport and other vital sectors.
DGBN has also reported on Africa: UAE Building ‘Relationships of Dependence’ Through Investment Across Africa.
Rather than being presented as a finished national system, the National Vault is still under development. The partners say they will explore its infrastructure, operating model and governance arrangements, including how the capability could align with national cyber-security priorities.
The project was announced in Abu Dhabi on 6 October during Ai Everything 2026. It brings together the Cyber Security Council’s national remit, CPX’s cyber-resilience expertise and Dell’s data-protection and recovery technology.
Focus on continuity after an attack
The central aim is not only to prevent cyber incidents, but to ensure essential organisations can restore trusted data and keep operating if their main systems or conventional safeguards are compromised.
For more context, read DGBN’s coverage of Why Saudi Arabia is making a play for East Africa.
That focus matters as public services and businesses across the Gulf accelerate their use of cloud platforms, connected infrastructure and artificial intelligence. A successful attack on a hospital, utility provider, transport network or public-service platform can quickly become a disruption to daily life, economic activity and public confidence.
Dr Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, the UAE Government’s Head of Cyber Security, said the proposal would reinforce the country’s existing approach to anticipating threats, protecting critical infrastructure and building resilience.
CPX chief executive Hadi Anwar said a national-level recovery capability could give organisations greater confidence that they can withstand disruption and resume secure operations. Dell’s South Gulf managing director, Walid Yehia, said the initiative was intended to improve the recoverability of information underpinning key public services and national operations.
Part of a wider digital-security drive
The National Vault proposal fits within the UAE’s broader push to strengthen cyber governance as its digital economy expands. The government’s National Cloud Security Policy emphasises protecting cloud resources, supporting rapid responses to incidents and enabling swift recovery after breaches. Its National Encryption Policy also sets requirements for securing data held and transmitted by organisations handling critical and personal information.
For African governments, businesses and diaspora communities engaging with the UAE’s fast-growing technology, logistics and investment networks, the development is significant. It underscores a regional shift towards data sovereignty and recovery planning: the question is increasingly not only whether systems can stop an attack, but whether societies can continue functioning after one.
Related DGBN reporting includes Kane on Ballon d’Or hopes.
The partners have not announced a delivery date, budget or the organisations that would first use the proposed National Vault. Its practical value will depend on the eventual technical design, oversight rules and participation across critical sectors.