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Regional · GCC & MENA
Regional · GCC & MENA

GCC Frameworks

The regional regulatory stack, covered locally. ISONEX delivers the GCC's own cybersecurity and data-protection frameworks — the regimes global compliance firms barely address — from offices in Manama, Dubai, and Riyadh.

The standard

What GCC Frameworks is.

Beyond the international standards, the GCC has built its own binding frameworks — and meeting them is non-negotiable for regulated entities in the region. ISONEX delivers across the full regional stack.

In Saudi Arabia, that means the NCA Essential Cybersecurity Controls (ECC) mandated by the National Cybersecurity Authority, the SAMA Cyber Security Framework for entities regulated by the Saudi Central Bank, and the Saudi Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL).

Across the wider region we cover the Bahrain PDPL, and UAE frameworks including ADHICS for Abu Dhabi healthcare, DESC for Dubai government suppliers, and the UAE Information Assurance standards. This regional depth — in-region, and where needed in Arabic — is where ISONEX is strongest.

Who it's for

Is this you?

Saudi regulated entities

Organisations bound by NCA ECC or SAMA requirements.

GCC market entrants

International firms expanding into the region that must meet local mandates.

Regional data handlers

Businesses subject to Saudi, Bahrain, or UAE data-protection law.

How we deliver

From kickoff to done,
in five stages.

Delivered directly by ISONEX from our regional offices. We know these frameworks, the regulators behind them, and how they map onto international standards like ISO 27001 — so you can satisfy a local mandate and a global certification from a single programme.

01

Scope & kickoff

We define the boundary of your programme — systems, locations, and teams in scope — and agree the timeline and responsibilities up front, so there are no surprises later.

02

Gap diagnostic

A structured assessment of your current posture against every requirement, producing a prioritised remediation plan with realistic effort estimates.

03

Build

We write the policies, procedures, and controls, and work alongside your engineering team on a weekly cadence to implement them — not a stack of templates left for you to figure out.

04

Operate

The management system runs and generates evidence. We drive the internal audit and management review so the programme is demonstrably working before any external scrutiny.

05

Audit support

We prepare the evidence package and sit alongside you through assessment, answering the assessor's questions directly rather than leaving you to defend the work alone.

Questions

Frequently asked.

It depends on your sector and regulator. NCA ECC applies broadly to organisations operating critical or sensitive systems; SAMA's framework applies to entities regulated by the Saudi Central Bank; and the PDPL governs personal data. We map your obligations precisely at the outset.

Yes — and that's usually the smart move. The GCC frameworks overlap substantially with ISO 27001, so a single well-designed programme can satisfy a local regulatory mandate and earn an international certificate at the same time.

Explore more

Other frameworks.

Ready when you are

Let's get you
GCC Frameworks ready.

Book a free advisory session and we'll map your fastest credible route to compliance.

Book a free advisory session