9 Jun 2026
United Arab Emirates
Turning AI into Business Value
Overview
The UAE has emerged as one of the region’s most active AI economies, with enterprises showing a strong appetite for AI-led transformation. According to IDC, AI ranks among the country’s top digital investment priorities, with 78% of UAE organizations expected to increase AI and digital investments in 2026. The current geopolitical scenario, however, introduces a more complex operating environment shaped by greater cost pressure, risk sensitivity, and increased scrutiny of investment decisions.
For CIOs, the focus now is on sustaining AI momentum and delivering measurable business value amid increasing uncertainty. In today’s environment, business and technology leaders must not only justify AI investments but also ensure their AI strategies are resilient in the face of operational, economic, and geopolitical disruption.
The IDC Middle East Virtual Roadshow – UAE brings a focused, insight-led look at how organizations can keep AI moving forward in a more complex, cost-conscious environment. Led by IDC analysts and backed by the latest research, the session is designed to help you align AI initiatives with clear business priorities and measurable outcomes.
Discover how to prioritize high-impact, low-risk use cases, optimize cloud performance and cost, and strengthen your data, governance, and sovereignty foundations—while building resilient AI operating models that support your next move with confidence.
Key Themes
Prioritize AI Deployments with Measurable ROI
Revalidate Cloud and Infrastructure Resilience
Strengthen Cyber Readiness
Reassess Data Governance, Sovereignty, and Compliance
Modernize Data Platforms for AI Readiness
Diversify Technology Supply Chains
Agenda
Turning AI into Business Value
One Day Event
11:00 am
Welcome Address
11:05 am
IDC Keynote: Future-Proofing AI Agendas for Long-Term Business Value
AI investment must now prove long-term value. In this IDC keynote, analysts share how to align AI to business priorities, build resilience, and scale with confidence for a sustained competitive edge.
11:20 am
Architecting for Data Sovereignty: Hybrid, Multi-Cloud, and Edge Strategies
As data sovereignty becomes a critical business requirement, organizations must rethink how and where data is managed. This session explores how hybrid, multi-cloud, and edge strategies can help you balance compliance, performance, and flexibility—so your architecture supports both control and growth.
11:30 am
Operationalizing AI: Bridging the Gap Between Data, Models & Business Impact
Turning AI into real business impact requires more than models—it demands alignment across data, processes, and outcomes. This session explores how to operationalize AI effectively, bridging the gap between experimentation and measurable value.
11:40 am
Optimizing Cloud for AI: Cost, Performance, and Scalability Considerations
AI workloads are pushing cloud strategies to evolve. This session unpacks how to optimize for cost, performance, and scalability—ensuring your cloud foundation can support AI growth without compromising efficiency.
11:50 am
Securing the AI Enterprise: Managing Risk in an Intelligent Threat Landscape
As AI expands the threat surface, security must evolve with it. This session examines how to manage risk in an intelligent threat landscape, helping you safeguard data, models, and systems while maintaining trust and resilience.
12:00 pm
From Data to Value: How Enterprises are driving Business Impact in AI Era
In the AI era, data only matters when it drives outcomes. This session highlights how enterprises are turning data into tangible business value—connecting insight to action and impact.
12:10 pm
Driving Agility and Continuity Through Low-Code Adoption
Speed and adaptability are now essential for resilience. This session explores how low-code adoption enables greater agility and continuity, empowering teams to innovate faster and respond to change with confidence.
12:20 pm
Gold Tracks (Parallel Sessions)
Track A
12:20 pm – 12:35 pm
Making Data Sovereignty Work in a More Uncertain Environment
12:35 pm – 12:50 pm
Building Trusted Data Foundations for Resilience
12:50 pm – 1:05 pm
Zero Trust: Redefining the Modern Security Perimeter
Track B
12:20 pm – 12:35 pm
Building Cloud Resilience for the AI-Driven Enterprise
12:35 pm – 12:50 pm
Resilient AI Infrastructure: Building for Performance, Cost, and Continuity
12:50 pm – 1:05 pm
Upskilling the workforce for the agentic era
1:05 pm
Summary & Takeaways, IDC
1:15 pm
Close of Event
Speakers
Ranjit Rajan
Vice President, Research (META)
IDC
Read Bio
Harish Dunakhe
Senior Research Director, Software & Cloud (META)
IDC
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Shilpi Handa
Associate Research Director (META)
IDC
Read Bio
Ranjit Rajan
Vice President, Research (META)
IDC
Rajan spearheads IDC’s software research, advisory, and consulting practice in the Middle East, Africa, and Turkey region. He has led several bespoke research and consulting projects for leading global ICT firms and regularly advises senior industry executives on market, product, and competitive strategies. He leads a team of regional research analysts and manages the delivery of syndicated research and trackers that analyze trends in technology areas such as enterprise applications, collaboration, security, storage, databases, and deployment tools, among others.In addition, Rajan has held engagement management and senior consultant roles in management consulting projects for government authorities and bodies in the region, developing strategies and programs for national IT sector development and ICT skills augmentation.Rajan engages closely with chief information officers (CIOs) in the region through workshops, roundtable discussions, and interviews, providing guidance on enterprise IT strategies.Rajan frequently speaks at industry forums and conferences, and is often quoted in the media, providing opinion and analysis on technology trends and strategies in global and emerging markets.Prior to joining IDC, Rajan spent over ten years in the IT industry in roles spanning product management, marketing, channel and business development, and resource management at prominent global IT companies such as Epicor, 3i Infotech and NIIT Technologies.Rajan has a management degree from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Calcutta and a bachelor of technology degree from Cochin University of Science and Technology.
Harish Dunakhe
Senior Research Director, Software & Cloud (META)
IDC
Harish Dunakhe leads IDC’s research & advisory practice for the software program in the Middle East, Africa, and Turkey (META) region.
He is responsible for a team of research analysts and manages the delivery of insights in IDC’s software program and syndicated research. Harish and his team have expertise in studying technology trends to provide our clients with thought leadership and actionable insights. He is based in Dubai.
Harish has a strong understanding of leveraging technologies to solve business problems in the public sector, travel & transportation, hospitality, IT, and retail. He has significant knowledge of emerging technologies such as blockchain, RPA, artificial intelligence, and cloud. He works with clients to understand the intricacies, opportunities, and challenges involved in their technology transformation journeys.
Harish brings more than 17 years of experience working with leading system integrators and other technology companies across the Middle East, South Asia, and India. Prior to joining IDC, he held senior roles spanning technology sales strategy, program governance, and large account business planning at Global MNCs such as Wipro, DXC Technology, and Sonata Software.
Shilpi Handa
Associate Research Director (META)
IDC