Middle East and Africa Cloud Strategies

Download PDF

Related Links



Meet the Experts

Photo of Jebin George
Jebin George

Senior Research Manager, Software, Cloud, and Industry Transformation, IDC MEA



IDC's Middle East and Africa Cloud Strategies CIS is a focal point for all cloud-related research for the region. This annual subscription service features a series of reports covering the cloud market in its entirety — public, private, and hybrid cloud and IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS. It offers diverse stakeholder perspectives, such as end-user adoption trends, technology provider investments, partner ecosystems, and regulatory measures. The research provides insight into regional cloud market size, end-user focus areas, challenges, vendor market shares, and competitive profiles. The service highlights specific topics, such as digital sovereignty, application modernization, key workloads, CloudOps, FinOps, cloud data management, and security.


Markets and Subjects Analyzed


  • Public cloud market sizing and forecasting
  • Public cloud market share and key vendors
  • Geographic coverage: Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, other Gulf Cooperation Council countries (OGCC — Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman), Egypt, other Middle East countries, South Africa, and other Africa countries
  • Key industries
  • End-user preferences and key adoption trends
  • Key workloads, CloudOps, FinOps, data management, cloud skills, KPIs, cloud-based professional services, etc.
  • Partner ecosystem and digital sovereignty — sovereign clouds, key cloud strategies, national initiatives, cloud policies, data regulations, investments from tech players in local datacenters and their impact, etc.

Core Research


  • IDC MarketScape: Middle East Public Cloud Infrastructure as a Service 2023 Vendor Assessment
  • Saudi Arabia Public Cloud Services Market Forecast, 2022–2027
  • United Arab Emirates Public Cloud Services Market Forecast, 2023–2028
  • South Africa Public Cloud Services Market Forecast, 2022–2027
  • Saudi Arabia Public Cloud Services Market Shares, 2022: The Cloud Supremacy
  • United Arab Emirates Public Cloud Services Market Shares, 2023: Cloud Supremacy
  • South Africa Public Cloud Services Market Shares, 2023: Cloud Supremacy
  • Qatar Public Cloud Adoption Trends, 2023
  • Egypt Public Cloud Adoption Trends, 2023
  • Application Modernization Trends in the Middle East & Africa, 2023
  • Middle East and Africa Sovereign Cloud Trends, 2023
  • Managing Hybrid and Multicloud Environments in the GCC: CIO Perspectives, 2024
  • IDC PeerScape: Best Practices in Cloud Implementation

In addition to the insight provided in this service, IDC may conduct research on specific topics or emerging market segments via research offerings that require additional IDC funding and client investment.


Key Questions Answered


  1. What are the key trends in the region- and country-specific IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS markets in the Middle East and Africa?
  2. What is the region- and country-specific market opportunity in public cloud over the next five years?
  3. What do the region- and country-specific competitive landscapes in the IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS markets look like?
  4. Who are the key players, and what are their market shares, investment plans, and growth strategies?
  5. How are the regional partnership ecosystems in public cloud evolving?
  6. What are end users' cloud adoption strategies?
  7. Which are the most prominent industries?
  8. How is industry cloud evolving?
  9. What are the various approaches to application modernization, cloud deployment models, hybrid multicloud, industry clouds, key cloud workloads, CloudOps, cloud data management, and cloud security?
  10. How is digital sovereignty evolving in the region?
  11. What national initiatives and digital regulations are affecting cloud adoption and investments in specific countries?

Companies Covered