ZainTECH and Nile build ai-ready networks for enterprises. ZainTECH and Nile have announced a partnership to deliver AI-ready Network-as-a-Service solutions across the Middle East, and the timing is telling. As companies rush into AI, the network is becoming just as important as the model or the cloud contract. ZainTECH says the partnership will combine its regional digital solutions reach with Nile's secure, cloud-native networking model. Nile was founded by former Cisco CEO John Chambers and is building what it calls a modern NaaS platform for enterprises that want simpler, more secure network operations. The pitch is straightforward. Businesses want to run more AI tools, move more data, connect more devices and support more distributed workers. But many still rely on networks that were designed for a slower, less cloud-heavy era. AI makes that gap harder to ignore because latency, reliability, security and bandwidth all become business issues. A lot of AI coverage focuses on chips and data centres, but enterprise adoption also depends on the everyday pipes inside offices, branches, factories, campuses and edge locations. If the network is unreliable or difficult to secure, AI applications become harder to deploy safely. This is where Network-as-a-Service becomes attractive. Instead of buying, configuring and maintaining complex networking hardware in the old way, companies can consume networking more like a managed cloud service. That can help organisations move faster, especially when they need secure connectivity for AI workloads, cloud apps and connected devices. For ZainTECH, the deal fits a wider push to become more than a telecom-adjacent technology provider. It wants to sit in the enterprise digital transformation market, where cloud, cybersecurity, AI infrastructure and managed services are converging. The announcement also connects with the bigger AI infrastructure story TechBooky has been tracking, from data-centre spending to cloud growth. The OpenAI compute buildout is one extreme of the story. Enterprise networking is the everyday version. Companies need the infrastructure around AI to work before they can get value from the models. This may not be as flashy as a new chatbot, but it is a practical sign of where the market is heading. The next wave of AI adoption will be built on less glamorous layers: networks, security, observability, identity and managed infrastructure. Related reading. Follow TechBooky Follow TechBooky for more technology stories and newsroom updates. Paul Balo is the founder of TechBooky and a highly skilled wireless communications professional with a strong background in cloud computing, offering extensive experience in designing, implementing, and managing wireless communication systems. Search TechBooky Receive top tech news directly in your inbox. Freshly squeezed. July 2026 | M | T | W | T | F | S | S | | / | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | / |

Cohesity partners with ZainTECH to expand ai-powered cyber resilience across the Middle East. July 22, 2026 ZainTECH's integration with Cohesity delivers immutable data protection and a secure, multi-tenant system. Cohesity, the leader in AI-powered data security, has extended its Aspire Managed Service Provider (MSP) ecosystem across the Middle East through an agreement with ZainTECH, the digital solutions arm of Zain Group and a recognized leader in AI professional services across the MENA region. The collaboration will see ZainTECH deliver advanced cyber resilience capabilities to enterprise customers across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan. The MSP partnership, formalised through the Cohesity Aspire Partner Programme, enables ZainTECH to expand its managed cyber resilience portfolio beyond traditional backup services. Through this collaboration, ZainTECH delivers a fully managed Backup as a Service (BaaS) offering powered by the Cohesity Data Cloud, designed for sovereign-ready, always-on enterprise environments. From a technical perspective, Cohesity serves as the underlying platform enabling ZainTECH's BaaS service. The platform provides core data security and cyber resilience capabilities, including immutable backup, ransomware protection, anomaly detection, cyber vaulting and air-gapped recovery via FortKnox, encryption, reporting, and advanced recovery orchestration. ZainTECH's BaaS offering extends protection across hybrid and multi-cloud environments, including on-premises infrastructure, ZainTECH Cloud, public cloud platforms, Microsoft 365 and SaaS applications, databases, virtual machines, containers, and file/NAS workloads. This is delivered as a fully managed service, covering onboarding, backup policy design and configuration, continuous monitoring, reporting, incident response, and restoration support. "Across the Middle East, organisations are racing to modernise their digital infrastructure, but resilience has not kept pace. Our own research shows that 59% of UAE organisations experienced a material cyberattack in the past year, and with daily attacks on the country's infrastructure continuing to rise, the question is no longer whether disruption will happen but how fast you can recover from it. This partnership with ZainTECH puts that capability directly in the hands of a trusted regional provider." - Gregg Petersen, Regional Director, Middle East, Cohesity ZainTECH's integration with Cohesity delivers immutable data protection and a secure, multi-tenant system. Features include AI-powered threat detection, anomaly scanning to identify risks, and scalable management of unstructured data. FortKnox enables on-premises, self-managed, air-gapped cyber vaults, that manage data within the organisation's environment and jurisdiction. This addresses a key concern for enterprise customers across the region. Enterprises across the Middle East are increasingly cautious about where their data resides. Some are re-evaluating hyperscaler-hosted environments and increasingly prioritizing regional providers that enable data management within national borders and within critical regulatory frameworks. ZainTECH's regional managed services infrastructure and sovereign-ready operating model, combined with the on-premises capabilities of Cohesity FortKnox, directly answers that demand. "Our customers are asking harder questions about where their data lives and what happens to it when things go wrong. Through this partnership with Cohesity, we are strengthening our ability to deliver enterprise-grade cyber resilience services that combine immutable protection, sovereign-ready operations, and recoverability frameworks designed for regulated and always-on enterprise environments." - Andrew Hanna, CEO, ZainTECH ZainTECH has enrolled in the Cohesity Aspire Partner Programme, unlocking access to training, certification, and joint go-to-market support as it scales the Cohesity offering across its customer base. The TechAfrica News Podcast

ZainTECH highlights its role in shaping AI and regional digital economy at IDCF 2026 in Kuwait. * As strategic partner to the DCO-hosted 2nd International Digital Cooperation Forum (IDCF) * Forum highlights Kuwait's prominence on the global digital map as leaders from 60 countries convene * DCO General Assembly adopt the Kuwait Declaration on Responsible AI for Global Digital Prosperity Kuwait City, February 4, 2026 As strategic partner to the second edition of the International Digital Cooperation Forum (IDCF) 2026, held 4 and 5 February 2026 at the Jumeirah Messilah Hotel, Kuwait City, ZainTECH is supporting the Forum's momentum on responsible artificial intelligence, digital investment, and cross-border cooperation, as key players from across the digital ecosystem convene under the theme "Inclusive prosperity in the age of AI." Hosted by the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO), the two-day IDCF Forum brings together senior policymakers, ministers, business leaders, and international organizations from 60 countries to move beyond dialogue and align policy, investment, and innovation around the opportunities and risks of AI-driven digital transformation. It was attended by Dr. Hajar El-Haddaoui, Director General of the IDCF. IDCF 2026 is being held on the sidelines of the 5th DCO General Assembly, during which Member States adopted the Kuwait Declaration on Responsible AI for Global Digital Prosperity, setting a shared political direction for the ethical, inclusive, and human-centric development and deployment of artificial intelligence. Andrew Hanna, CEO of ZainTECH, said: "IDCF 2026 highlighted the critical role of collaboration between governments, industry leaders and the private sector in advancing responsible AI at scale. We fully support DCO's efforts to translate shared priorities into practical solutions that strengthen digital infrastructure, skills, and innovation." Hanna added: "AI is already transforming economies and institutions. But its real value lies not in speed or scale, it lies in trust. ZainTECH is shaping the future of AI and the regional digital economy by focusing on building digital ecosystems that are inclusive, secure, and built to last through a simple operating model that is Digital, Intelligent and Resilient." On the sidelines of the Forum, ZainTECH hosted a dedicated booth, welcoming delegates, partners, and innovators to explore its integrated digital solutions portfolio and engage directly with its experts. The booth served as an interactive touchpoint to showcase how ZainTECH enables organizations to translate AI ambition into trusted execution, through practical use cases and solution pathways spanning data and AI, cybersecurity, cloud, and end-to-end digital transformation, aligned with its Digital, Intelligent and Resilient operating model. Across plenary discussions, ministerial engagements, and curated side events, conversations underscored that AI-enabled growth will deliver broad-based prosperity only when anchored in responsible governance, trusted digital foundations, skills development, and sustained international cooperation.