Resources
The UAE IA checklist is a free Excel workbook that walks you through the UAE Information Assurance controls so you can see exactly where you stand before an audit or self-assessment. If you run security or compliance for a UAE government entity or an operator of critical national infrastructure, this UAE IA checklist gives you a structured place to record the status, evidence and owner of every control. The Information Assurance (IA) Standards are issued by the national authority (NESA/SIA) and are mandatory in scope, so the work is not optional. This resource does not replace the standard itself. It gives you a working sheet to plan, sequence and track your implementation, control by control. You can download it below and start filling it in today.
Free download
Get the UAE Information Assurance Checklist
Work through the UAE IA controls across the priority levels. 60 items.
What the UAE Information Assurance Checklist covers
The workbook contains 60 items drawn from the UAE Information Assurance controls. Those controls are organised into two groups: Management controls, which cover governance, policy and process, and Technical controls, which cover the safeguards built into systems and networks. Every control in the standard carries a priority level from P1 to P4, and the checklist keeps that priority next to each item so you can sequence your work by priority rather than trying to do everything at once.
For each of the 60 items you get columns to record:
- The control reference and a short description of what it asks for
- Its priority level, from P1 to P4
- Current status, for example not started, in progress, or met
- Evidence: where the proof of the control lives
- Owner: the person accountable for closing it
That structure turns a dense standard into something you can actually work through, review in a meeting, and hand to an assessor without reformatting it first.
UAE Information Assurance the honest way: what actually matters
A checklist is only useful if you understand what the standard is asking for. Four things matter more than the rest.
Scope. The Information Assurance Standards are mandatory for UAE government entities and for operators of critical national infrastructure. If you fall into either group, compliance is an obligation, not a maturity goal you get to defer to next year.
Structure. The controls split into Management controls and Technical controls. Management controls set the direction: governance, risk management, policy, and the human side of security. Technical controls implement that direction inside the systems and networks themselves. Both halves have to move together. Strong technical controls with no governance behind them will not satisfy an assessor, and well-written policy with no technical enforcement is just paper.
Priority. Every control carries a priority from P1 to P4. This is the single most useful design feature of the standard, because it tells you the intended order of work. Working strictly by priority stops teams from polishing low-priority items while a P1 gap sits open. When you use the UAE IA checklist, sort by priority and let it drive your sequence.
Version. Confirm the applicable version of the standard for your sector before you rely on any control list, including this one. Different sectors and regulators can point to different editions, and you want to be assessed against the right one.
How to use the UAE Information Assurance Checklist
- Confirm the version of the UAE Information Assurance Standards that applies to your entity and sector, then read the checklist against it.
- Assign an owner to every control. A control with no owner never gets closed.
- Filter by priority and start with P1. Record the current status of each item honestly, even where the honest answer is not started.
- For every control you mark as met, link the evidence in the evidence column. If you cannot point to evidence, it is not met.
- Review the sheet on a fixed cadence with the owners, moving items forward and re-checking that the evidence you cited is still current.
Do this automatically in Venvera
A spreadsheet is a good way to start, but it goes stale the moment you close it. Owners change, evidence expires, and no one is told. In Venvera the same UAE Information Assurance controls live in a system that tracks status, owner and evidence for you, keeps the P1 to P4 priority levels in view, and reuses evidence you have already collected across your other frameworks instead of asking for it again. You can see the mapped control set on the UAE IA framework page. Venvera starts from EUR 399/month, and the checklist you download here maps cleanly onto it when you are ready to move off the spreadsheet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who must comply with the UAE Information Assurance Standards?
The standards are mandatory for UAE government entities and for operators of critical national infrastructure, and they are issued by the national authority (NESA/SIA). If your organisation sits in either category, treat compliance as a requirement rather than a choice, and confirm the version that applies to your sector.
What is the difference between Management and Technical controls?
The UAE Information Assurance controls are organised into two groups. Management controls cover governance, policy and process, meaning how security is directed and overseen. Technical controls cover the safeguards implemented in systems and networks. Both groups are in scope, and the checklist includes items from each.
What do the P1 to P4 priority levels mean?
Each control carries a priority level from P1 to P4 so that entities can sequence implementation by priority. Higher-priority controls are the ones to address first. The checklist keeps each item's priority visible so you can plan the order of work instead of treating every control as equally urgent.
Is this checklist the official standard?
No. It is a free working tool to help you plan and track your implementation. It does not replace the UAE Information Assurance Standards themselves, and you should always confirm the applicable version of the standard for your sector as the authoritative source.
