What Wafai Net does

Wafai Net, operating commercially as WafaiCloud, is a Saudi Arabia-headquartered cloud infrastructure and managed services provider founded in 1999 and operating two Tier III data centers in Riyadh and Jeddah, supported by an additional 14 global points of presence. The company runs an OpenStack-based cloud platform delivering a full IaaS/PaaS portfolio: Premium, General, and NVMe Cloud VPS, dedicated/bare metal servers (Standard and Advanced tiers), managed Kubernetes, NVMe block storage, S3-compatible object storage, cloud firewall, load balancers, private networking, managed databases, and developer/containers PaaS services. Its flagship proprietary product is WAF+, an AI-augmented Web Application Firewall that combines rule-based detection with Deep Learning models and threat intelligence drawn from 700,000+ global sites, recognized as a Top Web Application Firewall by G2 in Spring 2023.

The business model is multi-stream and recurring. Core infrastructure is sold via monthly, quarterly, annual, and multi-year subscriptions with up to 30% discounts for three-year commitments; storage and certain compute services are billed usage-based per minute; professional services cover migrations and custom configurations; and a 500+ partner white-label and reseller program generates indirect channel revenue. Pricing is publicly transparent in USD and SAR, with VPS plans starting at SAR 60/month and dedicated servers from $391.50/month, positioning the company 20-50% below AWS/Azure equivalents and emphasizing zero egress fees.

WafaiCloud primarily serves Saudi enterprises, government entities, and SMBs whose workloads require local data residency under CST regulations, latency to Saudi end users, and Arabic-capable 24/7 engineering support. Secondary customer segments include IT resellers and partners (white-label consumption), education institutions, and software development teams, with the company reporting 10,000+ customers on its Cloud Firewall and Load Balancer services and 15,000+ URLs protected by WAF+.

Name

Wafai Net

Legal name

WafaiCloud

Website

https://wafai.com.sa

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Wafai Net (WafaiCloud) is a Saudi Arabia-based cloud infrastructure provider offering VPS, dedicated servers, Kubernetes, storage, and AI-powered security (WAF+) from Tier III data centers in Riyadh and Jeddah, serving Saudi enterprises, government, and SMBs needing local data sovereignty.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cloud Infrastructure

NAICS

Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (51821), Computer Facilities Management Services (541513)

akta.pro primary industry

Web Application Security (WAF, RASP) (HDADACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cloud Network Security (Microsegmentation, Cloud Firewall, WAF, DDoS) (HDABAHAJ), Kubernetes & Container Platform Management (Private Cloud) (HDABABAC), Cloud-Native Development (Containers, Kubernetes, Microservices) (BPAEACAD)

Keywords

• Cloud infrastructure services
• Virtual private servers
• Dedicated bare metal servers
• Managed web hosting
• Enterprise connectivity solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Jeddah

HQ country

Saudi Arabia

HQ region

Middle East

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Cloud Infrastructure Services: Subscription-based cloud services including VPS, dedicated servers, cloud instances, Kubernetes, and storage. Billed monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, annually, or multi-year with discounts up to 30% for 3-year terms.
2. Block and Object Storage: Pay-per-use storage with per-minute billing. Customers pay only for resources consumed with per-gigabyte pricing for object storage and per-minute billing for block storage.
3. Security Services: WAF+ and security services provided as fully managed subscription. Includes DDoS protection, bot control, and SSL/TLS certificates.
4. Professional Services: Migration services, custom server configuration, and enterprise consultation for large deployments.
5. White-Label Partnership: Partners resell cloud services under their own brand with flexible pricing models, generating revenue through margin on services sold.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Wafai Net (operating as WafaiCloud) is a Saudi Arabia-based cloud infrastructure and managed services provider offering VPS hosting, bare metal dedicated servers, shared and managed WordPress hosting, cloud storage (block and object), managed Kubernetes, and enterprise connectivity services (DIA, SD-WAN, 5G). The company also offers a proprietary Web Application Firewall (WAF+) and cloud firewall for application security, all hosted in Tier III data centers in Jeddah and Riyadh.

Product overview

WafaiCloud is a Saudi-based cloud infrastructure platform offering a comprehensive portfolio of cloud, bare metal, hosting, and connectivity solutions. The core product line includes Premium Cloud VPS (SSD), General Cloud VPS, and NVMe Cloud VPS for virtual server needs; Compute Instances and Kubernetes for scalable computing; Block Storage and Object Storage for data persistence; and Dedicated Servers (Standard and Advanced tiers) for bare metal workloads. Security offerings comprise WAF+ (Web Application Firewall with AI-powered protection) and Cloud Firewall (free security groups). Networking services include Cloud Load Balancer, Private Networking, Direct Internet Access, SD-WAN, and 5G connectivity solutions. Hosting products cover Shared Web Hosting, NextGen WordPress Hosting, and Colocation. The PaaS layer provides Managed Databases, Managed Kubernetes, Elastic VPS, Developer Cloud, Applications Platform, and Orchestration services. All infrastructure is hosted in Saudi Arabia (Riyadh and Jeddah) Tier III data centers with 99.98% uptime guarantee, and the platform differentiates on local data sovereignty, enterprise-grade performance, and significantly lower costs compared to global hyperscalers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WafaiCloud WAF+: Advanced Web Application Firewall solution providing comprehensive, fully managed security for web applications and APIs.
• WafaiCloud VPC
• NextGen WordPress Hosting

Products and services

• Premium Cloud VPS (SSD)

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 50% cost savings compared to AWS or Azure
• +5 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration19 records

AI capability3 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Communications, Space & Technology Commission (CST)coreOthers · 1 January 2020WafaiCloud operates in full compliance with regulations set forth by the Communications, Space & Technology Commission (CST) in Saudi Arabia. This regulatory partnership ensures the company meets all local requirements for cloud services and data management within the Kingdom.
• SAIX (South Africa Internet Exchange)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2020WafaiCloud maintains direct connections with local service providers through SAIX peering arrangements. This network partnership enables reduced latency and optimized routing for Saudi Arabia customers by minimizing network hops between WafaiCloud infrastructure and end users.
• Let's EncryptsupportingTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2020WafaiCloud provides free SSL/TLS certificates through Let's Encrypt integration, enabling customers to secure their web applications and websites with industry-standard encryption without additional cost.
• Cyber Threat Alliance (CTA)supportingTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2020WafaiCloud WAF+ utilizes threat intelligence certified by the Cyber Threat Alliance (CTA) to block malicious IPs based on a robust database of known threats. This partnership enhances the security platform's ability to protect against emerging cyber threats.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• OVHcloud: European-headquartered hyperscale cloud provider known for competitive pricing on dedicated servers, VPS, and bare metal. Closely comparable on cost-focused IaaS positioning, multi-region infrastructure, and VPS-led GTM.
• Hetzner: German cloud provider offering low-cost VPS, dedicated servers, and cloud hosting. Comparable to WafaiCloud on aggressive pricing strategy and developer/SMB target segment with bare metal and VPS products.
• DigitalOcean: SMB and developer-focused IaaS provider offering VPS, managed Kubernetes, object storage, and app platform. Comparable positioning to WafaiCloud on target customer (SMB/startups/developers) and lean product catalog approach.
• Solutions by stc (SCCC): Saudi Telecom Company's cloud subsidiary offering enterprise cloud, hosting, managed services, and cybersecurity in Saudi Arabia. Directly competes with WafaiCloud for Saudi enterprise and government cloud workloads.
• Mobily Business / Mobily Cloud: Etihad Etisalat (Mobily) provides cloud, colocation, managed hosting, and connectivity services to Saudi enterprises. Competes with WafaiCloud on local data center presence and enterprise connectivity.

Broad incumbents

• Cloudflare: Global cloud platform offering WAF, DDoS protection, CDN, Workers compute, R2 storage, and managed security. Competes with WAF+ on application security and increasingly with the broader cloud platform.
• Oracle Cloud Infrastructure: Hyperscaler with announced Saudi Arabia cloud region, offering IaaS, PaaS, and database services. Competes with WafaiCloud for enterprise and government cloud workloads requiring local presence.
• Microsoft Azure: Global hyperscaler with Azure Saudi Arabia region targeting data sovereignty workloads. The primary benchmark that WafaiCloud positions against on cost and local support.
• AWS (Amazon Web Services): Global hyperscaler with AWS Middle East region and broad service catalog. The primary alternative WafaiCloud targets with its 'up to 50% savings' positioning for Saudi enterprises.

Regional players

• NourNet: Saudi-based managed services and cloud provider offering connectivity, hosting, and enterprise IT services. Comparable regional MENA positioning with local support and infrastructure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wafai

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wafai Net