Amazon Web Services · UAE and Bahrain regions · Middle East support
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
We design, migrate and run AWS environments for companies in the Middle East, in the UAE region where your data needs to stay local.
GCC regions- Middle East (UAE)Live
- Middle East (Bahrain)Live
- Saudi ArabiaAnnounced
Why work with Gulf Infotech on AWS
Since 2007
with 1,500+ active cloud customers across the Middle East.
AWS partner
working alongside Azure, Huawei Cloud and Google Cloud.
Offices in Dubai, Muscat and Doha
with English and Arabic support.
350,000+ users migrated
In short
AWS (Amazon Web Services) is Amazon's public cloud: servers, databases, storage, networking and AI services billed by usage. In the GCC it runs the Middle East (UAE) region, me-central-1, and the Middle East (Bahrain) region, me-south-1. Gulf Infotech, working in the Middle East since 2007, designs, migrates and manages AWS workloads for companies in Oman, the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
What is AWS best used for?
AWS is the strongest choice when you need breadth of services and a platform built for software teams.
Web and app hosting at scale
EC2 servers, load balancers, CloudFront and auto scaling for sites and apps with uneven traffic.
Startups and SaaS products
managed databases (RDS, Aurora, DynamoDB), containers (ECS, EKS) and the largest partner marketplace.
Serverless
Lambda, API Gateway and Step Functions, so you pay per request instead of keeping servers running.
Generative AI with Amazon Bedrock
one API for models from Anthropic (Claude), Amazon, Meta and others. In the UAE and Bahrain regions, Claude models currently run through global cross-region inference, which means prompts can be processed outside the GCC.
UAE-hosted workloads
me-central-1 keeps data in the UAE, according to AWS.
When would we recommend a different provider?
We recommend AWS where it fits, and say so when another cloud fits better.
Mostly Windows Server and SQL Server with existing licences
- Our usual recommendation
- Microsoft Azure
- Why
- Azure Hybrid Benefit reuses those licences, which usually lowers the monthly bill
Data must stay in Qatar
- Our usual recommendation
- Azure or Google Cloud
- Why
- AWS has no Qatar region; both of them run regions in Doha
Data must stay in Saudi Arabia before December 2026
- Our usual recommendation
- Huawei Cloud or Google Cloud Dammam
- Why
- The AWS Saudi region is announced, not yet live
Analytics on very large datasets with a small team
- Our usual recommendation
- Google Cloud
- Why
- BigQuery needs little database administration
A new web platform or SaaS product
- Our usual recommendation
- AWS
- Why
- Widest choice of managed services and tooling
Does AWS have a data centre region in the GCC?
Yes. AWS runs two GCC regions today and has announced a third in Saudi Arabia.
- Live
- Announced / to confirm
- No region
| Region | Code | Location | Availability Zones | Status (October 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middle East (UAE) | me-central-1 | UAE | 3 | Live, opt-in required |
| Middle East (Bahrain) | me-south-1 | Bahrain | 3 | Live, opt-in required |
| Saudi Arabia | not yet published | Saudi Arabia | not yet published | Announced, on track for December 2026 |
Middle East (UAE)
- Code
- me-central-1
- Location
- UAE
- Availability Zones
- 3
- Status (October 2026)
- Live, opt-in required
Middle East (Bahrain)
- Code
- me-south-1
- Location
- Bahrain
- Availability Zones
- 3
- Status (October 2026)
- Live, opt-in required
Saudi Arabia
- Code
- not yet published
- Location
- Saudi Arabia
- Availability Zones
- not yet published
- Status (October 2026)
- Announced, on track for December 2026
Both live regions must be enabled in your AWS account before use, because they opened after March 2019. AWS has no region in Oman, Qatar or Kuwait. Not every AWS service runs in every region, so we check the service list for your design. See cloud data residency.
How much does AWS cost?
AWS charges for what you use: compute by the second or hour, storage per GB per month, and data transfer out of AWS. There is no fixed per-user price, so we estimate your monthly bill from your actual workloads during the assessment. The main ways to lower it:
Savings Plans and Reserved Instances
commit to one or three years of steady usage for a lower rate.
Spot Instances
spare capacity at a deep discount for work that can be interrupted.
Rightsizing
servers copied from on-premise are often oversized; we size them to measured use.
Region choice also changes price: the same server can cost more in me-central-1 than in a US region. See cloud cost optimisation.
How do we migrate your servers to AWS?
- Step 01
Discover
inventory servers, databases, dependencies and current utilisation.
- Step 02
Design
AWS accounts, VPC network, identity, backup and security baseline in me-central-1 or me-south-1.
- Step 03
Migrate in waves
AWS Transform MGN (formerly AWS Application Migration Service) replicates each server continuously; we test the copy, then switch a group over, typically outside working hours, keeping the source server as the fallback.
- Step 04
Run and optimise
monitoring, patching, backup checks and a monthly cost review.
Detail: cloud migration services and lift-and-shift migration.
AWS support in your country
Cloud services in the UAE
me-central-1, Dubai office, AED invoices.
Cloud services in Oman
Muscat head office, OMR invoices.
Cloud services in Qatar
Doha office, QAR invoices.
Frequently asked questions
What is Amazon Web Services best used for?
Amazon Web Services is best used for web platforms, mobile back ends, SaaS products and serverless applications that need many managed services and scale with traffic. It is also strong for generative AI through Amazon Bedrock, which offers Claude and other models through one API. For Windows-heavy estates or Qatar-hosted data, we often recommend Azure or Google Cloud instead.
Does AWS have a data centre region in the GCC?
Yes. AWS runs the Middle East (UAE) region, me-central-1, and the Middle East (Bahrain) region, me-south-1, each with three Availability Zones. Both must be enabled in your account before use. AWS says its Saudi Arabia region is on track to launch in December 2026. There is no AWS region in Oman, Qatar or Kuwait.
How much does AWS cost?
AWS costs depend on usage: server hours, storage, databases and data transferred out. There is no per-user licence. A small business application might run on a few servers, while a large platform runs hundreds, so we estimate your monthly bill from measured workloads. Savings Plans or Reserved Instances lower the rate for steady one- or three-year usage.
Can you migrate our servers?
Yes. We use AWS Transform MGN, formerly AWS Application Migration Service, to copy physical and virtual servers into AWS while they keep running, test the copies, then switch over in groups, typically outside working hours. The original servers stay untouched until you sign off. Where it saves money we change the design, for example moving a self-managed SQL or MySQL database to Amazon RDS.
Can we keep our data in the UAE on AWS?
Yes. If you deploy in the Middle East (UAE) region, me-central-1, your servers, databases and storage stay in the UAE. Some global services, such as certain AI models used through cross-region inference, can process data outside the region, so we flag those in the design.
Can we use Claude on AWS from the GCC?
Yes. Amazon Bedrock is available in the UAE and Bahrain regions, and Anthropic's Claude models are offered there through global cross-region inference. That means prompts may be processed in other AWS regions worldwide, so it suits work without strict in-country rules. For staff productivity rather than custom apps, see Claude for business.
Plan your AWS environment with us
Tell us what you want to run and where your data must stay, and we will send a design and a monthly cost estimate.