NEWS
Dell Technologies has released findings from its Modern Enterprise Readiness Study 2026, revealing that UAE organisations are prioritising AI adoption, cybersecurity and modern workplace technologies as they navigate economic uncertainty and evolving regulatory requirements.
Conducted by Vanson Bourne, the study surveyed 2,950 business and IT decisionmakers across 35 countries, including 1,500 respondents from EMEA.
According to the findings, 82 % of UAE leaders say economic conditions are making them more selective about technology investments, while 86 % prefer to consolidate their technology requirements with a single strategic partner.
Workplace modernisation is also gaining momentum, with 94 % of respondents identifying AI PCs and modern endpoints as important components of their future workplace strategies. Meanwhile, 66 % believe outdated devices are limiting technology adoption.
94 % of UAE businesses prioritise AI PCs and cyber-resilience: Dell
However, challenges remain in scaling AI. Some 68 % of UAE IT leaders say their infrastructure is not fully prepared for production AI workloads, while an equal proportion report that security and compliance concerns have delayed adoption.
Cyber resilience is another priority, with 94 % considering integrated data protection and recovery capabilities essential when evaluating infrastructure platforms.
Walid Yehia, Managing Director – South Gulf, Dell Technologies, said:“ The message from business leaders is clear: the time for AI experimentation is ending, and the focus is shifting to execution. Organizations across the UAE need secure infrastructure, trusted data, cyber resilience and the right ecosystem of partners to scale innovation successfully. Those that build these foundations today will be the ones that lead tomorrow. At Dell Technologies, we’ re helping customers take the next step – transforming AI ambition into business advantage through secure, modern and scalable technology solutions.”
Walid Yehia, Managing Director – South Gulf, Dell Technologies
IFS study reveals industrial AI driving major operational gains
IFS has released its Industrial Index 2026, revealing that frontline industrial workers are driving AI adoption and delivering measurable operational improvements, while executive leadership struggles to keep pace with governance and implementation strategies.
The study, which surveyed more than 2,200 senior decision-makers across 14 countries, found that over 90 % of organisations reported significant improvements in reliability and performance through industrial AI adoption.
According to the findings, 93 % reported improvements in first-time-right performance, 90 % in asset availability and 88 % in on-time delivery adherence.
Industrial AI is also improving workforce productivity, with organisations reporting
Cathie Hall, Chief Product & Customer Officer at IFS employee time savings exceeding 50 % across workflows such as production throughput and quality assurance.
The research highlights growing adoption of agentic AI among frontline teams. Some 43 % of respondents have introduced agentic digital workers into daily operations, while 37 % have upskilled colleagues to use industrial AI tools.
However, the study identified a widening gap between operational adoption and leadership readiness, particularly around governance, data accessibility and scaling AI initiatives.
Cathie Hall, Chief Product & Customer Officer at IFS, commented:“ The factory floor is moving at full speed. Workers see the operational insights, know their data better than anyone, and they know they need industrial-grade AI solutions to turn that expertise into action. The real challenge for leadership isn’ t driving adoption, it’ s having the insights to clear legacy roadblocks and delivering the secure industrial harness, data pipelines, and governance required to scale these wins safely and globally.” www. intelligentcio. com
INTELLIGENT CIO MIDDLE EAST
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