What IT Do You Need to Plan When Moving or Opening an Office in Dubai?

Start with a site survey, then order internet and arrange your phone numbers straight away, because the carrier is the longest lead item. Cabling, Wi-Fi, phones, CCTV, meeting-room AV and a data plan follow in that order, ending with a rehearsed cutover weekend and a snagging list. Order matters more than speed.

Most office moves that go badly in Dubai fail on sequence, not technical work: the internet was ordered after the fit-out started, or nobody checked whether the numbers could follow the business. Work through these phases in order, each with a named owner.

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1. Survey the new space before the fit-out is designed

The survey decides where the comms room goes, and the comms room decides almost everything else. Walk the space with your IT partner and fit-out contractor while moving a wall is still free.

• Comms room. Lockable, with space for the rack and the carrier's equipment. Not a store cupboard, not under a wet area.
• Power. Dedicated circuits for the rack, a UPS sized for what you will run, and a clean earth, shown on the electrical drawings.
• Cooling. Office air conditioning often switches off at night and at weekends. Ask building management what runs out of hours and plan dedicated cooling if nothing does.
• Building rules. Where the carrier's fibre enters, which risers you may use, and what approvals contractors need. Every tower in Dubai has its own process, so get it in writing.

Record the outcome as a short design brief: outlets per area, access point and camera positions, what moves and what is bought new. Our IT infrastructure team starts every relocation from this document.

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2. Order internet and decide how your numbers move, first

The carrier is the longest lead item, so order it the week the lease is agreed. Business fibre comes from e& (formerly Etisalat) or du, depending on who serves the building. Neither publishes a fixed installation lead time, so ask for a committed date and chase it weekly. If your current carrier matters to you, check which one serves the building before you sign the lease.

Decide on your numbers at the same time. TDRA launched fixed number portability in 2021, so a business can keep a landline while changing carrier, provided bills are paid and the number is connected. e& says a switch to its service typically takes 3 to 10 business days, with the new service activated before the old one ends.

The constraint: e& states you cannot keep a fixed number when you move between emirates, because each has its own prefix, 02 for Abu Dhabi and 04 for Dubai. For a move within Dubai, confirm in writing that each number will follow you, and on which date.

List everything first: every DID, the main number, any 800 number, fax, alarm and lift lines, and static IP addresses that firewalls, VPNs or suppliers depend on.

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3. Install structured cabling to a standard, label it and certify it

Cabling is what you live with longest, so specify it rather than accept the fit-out contractor's default: Category 6 or 6A copper to each outlet, access point and camera, and fibre for the backbone to distant floors or racks.

• A named standard. Ask for installation and testing to the ANSI/TIA-568 family, which Fluke Networks uses for Category 6A field testing. Cat 6A is the safer choice for powered devices over the life of the lease.
• Labelling and records. The ANSI/TIA-606 standard requires that each printed label is linked to a record, with labels at both ends of every cable.
• Certification results. The permanent link test verifies the fixed part of the installed cabling, and without documented results a manufacturer's warranty may be almost useless. Make the test report a condition of payment.

Our structured cabling service covers design, installation, labelling and certification as one package.

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4. Design Wi-Fi from a survey, not from the floor plan

Glass meeting rooms, concrete cores and neighbours' networks change how signal behaves, and a floor plan shows none of them. Cisco Meraki strongly encourages site surveys before and after deployment, and for voice designs to a cell edge of around -67 dBm with a signal-to-noise ratio of 25 dB or more.

If staff take calls on laptops, Microsoft recommends QoS or WMM, careful band planning and non-overlapping channels for Wi-Fi carrying Teams calls, and offers a Network Planner to estimate bandwidth per site. A predictive design places the access points; a survey after installation proves they work, and it should be repeated once the office is furnished and occupied.

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5. Move the phone system, or use the move to go to the cloud

An on-premise PBX has to be shut down, moved, reconnected to the carrier and tested, and your numbers are down for as long as that takes. Moving to the cloud first turns the office change into plugging in phones. Wildix, for which NETON is a certified Gold Partner, offers a cloud PBX with no on-site hardware required and apps for iOS and Android, so users can take calls on laptops and mobiles while desks are moved. That takes most of the risk out of the cutover weekend, and it separates your numbers from the building for the next move too.

Either way, test inbound to every number, outbound from every handset, hunt groups, the auto attendant, voicemail, call recording and any CRM integration your sales team relies on. Our guide to choosing a business phone system covers both options.

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6. CCTV and access control: use a SIRA-licensed provider in Dubai

Law No. 12 of 2016 established the Security Industry Regulatory Agency (SIRA) and defines selling and installing security systems as a security service. Article 17 states that no one may provide security services in the emirate without a licence, and SIRA publishes a directory of security system provider companies.

Detailed technical requirements sit in the implementing bylaw, with stricter rules for sectors such as banks, hotels, malls and hospitals. Ask your provider which apply before the camera layout is fixed, and check the building's rules for shared areas. Each camera and reader needs a cable run, so plan them with the cabling. See our CCTV and security systems page.

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7. Fit out meeting rooms for the way you meet

Microsoft's Teams Rooms guidance starts with an inventory of each room's size, layout and purpose, and says to check acoustics, noisy air conditioning, sightlines and power before choosing equipment. Each room device also needs its own Teams Rooms licence. Decide per room whether you need a screen for presenting only or a full video-conferencing system with camera, microphones and speakers, then put cable runs, power and wall reinforcement into the fit-out drawings so nothing is surface-mounted afterwards. See our audio-video for meeting rooms page.

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8. Protect your data before anything is unplugged

The move is the riskiest day your data will have all year. Hardware gets dropped, disks that have run for years fail on their first restart, and nobody wants to discover a backup problem with the server in a van.

• Back up and test a restore. CISA recommends the 3-2-1 approach: three copies, two kinds of storage, one offsite. During a move, offsite means away from both offices.
• Sync user folders. Microsoft's Known Folder Move redirects Desktop and Documents to OneDrive, so a damaged laptop does not take work with it.
• Know your obligations. Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 requires companies holding personal data to secure it. Wipe or destroy drives you are not taking, and record it.

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9. Run the cutover weekend from a script

The cutover weekend should hold no decisions, only steps. Write the plan as a numbered script with times, owners and a test for each step, and walk through it with everyone involved before the day.

1. Confirm the final backup and restore test passed.
2. Shut down in a documented order and photograph every rack.
3. Rack and power up at the new site: network, then servers, then storage.
4. Bring up the carrier link, firewall and VPNs; confirm static IP changes with suppliers.
5. Switch and test every phone number.
6. Run the test script: logins, email, files, applications, printers, Wi-Fi, cameras, door access.
7. Get business sign-off, or trigger the rollback plan.

Keep someone at the old site until the new one is confirmed working, and keep the old internet service live until the new one has carried a full working week.

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10. Snag in writing, then close the old site

Walk every floor in the first days with a punch list: dead outlets, weak Wi-Fi, unlabelled cables, poor camera angles, screens that will not share. Close each item with the responsible installer, collect the handover pack (test results, diagrams, survey reports, credentials, warranties), and store admin credentials in your password vault, not on a sticky note in the comms room. Only then cancel the old site's services, in writing, after confirming every number has moved.

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What is different in the UAE

• Two carriers, and the building decides. Your new building may be served by only e& or du. Check before signing if your carrier matters.
• Numbers belong to an emirate. Fixed numbers do not move between emirates, so a move from Dubai to Abu Dhabi, or the reverse, means new fixed numbers or a cloud phone system that keeps the old ones reachable.
• Security systems are licensed in Dubai. CCTV and access control fall under SIRA, so the installer must hold the licence.

Free zones and individual towers add their own layers: contractor permits, work-hour limits, and rules on risers and rooftop equipment. None of these are hard, but each adds days if you discover it late.

NETON delivers every workstream in this checklist for projects in the UAE, from cabling and phones to CCTV, AV and the cutover itself. Send us your new address and target move date, and we will help you put the sequence in order.

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Office move IT timeline: when each task starts and who owns it

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Frequently asked questions

Can I keep my office landline number when I move within Dubai?

Usually yes, if you stay in the same emirate, but it depends on your carrier and your new building, so confirm it in writing before you sign the order. e& states plainly that you cannot keep a fixed number when moving from one emirate to another, because each emirate has its own prefix. Moving the numbers to a cloud phone system is one way to separate the number from the building.

What is the longest lead item in an office move?

In most moves it is the business internet connection at the new address, together with the decision on how your phone numbers move. Carriers do not publish a fixed lead time for a new business fibre connection, and it depends on whether the building is already served. Order it as soon as the lease is agreed.

Should I install Cat 6 or Cat 6A in a new office?

Cat 6A gives you more headroom for faster connections and powered devices such as access points and cameras, and it is the safer choice for a fit-out you expect to keep for years. Cat 6 can be adequate for a short lease or light use. Whichever you choose, insist on certification test results for every link and a labelling scheme you can read later.

Does my new office CCTV need SIRA approval in Dubai?

In Dubai, selling and installing security systems is a licensed activity under Law No. 12 of 2016, overseen by SIRA. Use a provider licensed by SIRA, and ask them which requirements apply to your type of premises before the design is fixed. Building management may also have its own rules for cameras in shared areas.

How do I protect our data during an office move?

Take a full backup and prove it restores before anything is unplugged, and keep at least one copy away from both the old and the new office. Sync users' desktops and documents to cloud storage so a damaged laptop does not mean lost work. Move servers last and have a written plan for switching back if something fails.

Can NETON handle the whole IT side of an office move?

NETON delivers structured cabling, IT infrastructure, business phone systems, CCTV and security systems, audio-video and IT support for projects in the UAE. That covers each workstream in this checklist under one point of contact. Get in touch with your move date and new address to plan the sequence.

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Sources

1. Switch to e& internet: Fixed Number Portability FAQ — e& — 2026-11
2. TDRA expands number portability services to include 800 toll-free numbers — Gulf News — 2022-10
3. Law No. (12) of 2016 Regulating the Security Industry in the Emirate of Dubai — Dubai Legislation Portal — 2016
4. Security System Providers Companies — Security Industry Regulatory Agency (SIRA) — 2026-11
5. ANSI/TIA Category 6A field testing requirements for Modular Plug Terminated Links — Fluke Networks — 2026-11
6. The Permanent Link in Field Certification — Fluke Networks — 2026-11
7. Hope is not a warranty — Fluke Networks — 2026-11
8. Cable Labeling Standards: ANSI/TIA-606-C — Brady — 2026-11
9. Conducting Site Surveys with MR Access Points — Cisco Meraki — 2026-11
10. Prepare your organization's network for Teams — Microsoft Learn — 2026-05
11. Cloud VoIP PBX — Wildix — 2026-11
12. Plan for Microsoft Teams Rooms — Microsoft Learn — 2026-01
13. Redirect and move Windows known folders to OneDrive — Microsoft Learn — 2026-11
14. Back Up Business Data — US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency — 2026-11
15. Data protection laws — The Official Portal of the UAE Government — 2026-11