A typical 10–40 person office in Dubai takes two to four weeks from site survey to go-live, and most of that work runs in parallel with the fit-out. Cabling goes in early, and equipment is installed and tested in the final days. Internet line orders and building approvals sit before that window and can take longer.
Part of our guide to New Office IT Setup.
How long does a new office IT setup take in Dubai?
For a typical 10–40 person office, two to four weeks from survey to go-live, with most of the work happening alongside the fit-out rather than after it. Cabling and containment go in while walls and ceilings are open; network equipment, Wi-Fi, accounts and devices are installed and tested in the final days before staff arrive.
That window describes the IT project itself. It does not include the tasks that must start earlier and that no IT provider controls, mainly internet line installation and building approvals. Larger offices, several floors and phased moves also take longer. The new office IT setup service is planned around these dependencies from the first survey.
What has to happen before the two to four week window?
Internet lines and building approvals should be started the day the lease is signed. Both run on other people's schedules, and a late start on either is a common reason an office opens without working IT.
- Internet lines: order the primary line and a failover line from du or e& as early as possible. Installation depends on the provider's schedule, the fibre already in the building and landlord access, so the lead time is outside anyone's control, including yours and your IT provider's.
- Company documents: line applications usually need the trade licence and tenancy details, so gather them early.
- Landlord and building approvals: most towers require building management approval, often called an NOC, before contractors start, along with agreed working hours, access passes and riser access for cabling.
- Fit-out drawings: the comms room position, power, cooling and data point locations should be on the drawings before they are approved.
- Business decisions: the headcount plan, who needs which devices, and who owns the Microsoft 365 tenant and the domain.
What are the phases of a new office IT setup?
The project runs in phases tied to fit-out milestones rather than fixed dates, because every building and contractor moves at a different pace. The table shows what happens in each phase and what it depends on.
| Phase | What happens | Depends on |
|---|---|---|
| Before the project | Internet lines ordered, building approvals requested, IT requirements added to the fit-out drawings | Internet providers, landlord and building management, fit-out designer |
| Site survey and design | Floor plan walk, data point and access point positions, comms room requirements, itemised scope agreed | Access to the space, a settled layout, the headcount plan |
| Equipment ordering | Firewall, switches, access points, laptops and licences ordered against the agreed scope | Scope sign-off and distributor stock |
| Cabling during fit-out | Containment, cable runs, patch panels, labelling and certification testing before ceilings close | Fit-out progress, building working hours, ceiling access |
| Comms room and network | Rack, UPS, firewall, switches and Wi-Fi installed and configured, cooling checked | Power and cooling ready, comms room secure and clean |
| Accounts and devices | Microsoft 365 users, mailboxes, file permissions and security policies set up, laptops prepared | A confirmed user list, tenant and domain access, data to migrate |
| Testing and go-live | Internet failover, Wi-Fi walk test, sign-in checks, printers and meeting rooms tested, engineers on site on the first day | Internet lines live and fit-out snags cleared |
| Handover | Network diagram, asset register, account list and port map handed over, ongoing support begins | Snag list closed and a support plan agreed |
Which IT work runs in parallel with the fit-out?
Most of it. Running IT alongside the fit-out is what keeps the project to weeks instead of spilling past the move date. Our new office IT checklist lists what to decide at each fit-out milestone.
- Cabling and containment are installed while ceilings and partitions are still open.
- Equipment is ordered as soon as the scope is agreed, so it arrives before the comms room is ready.
- Microsoft 365 accounts, security policies and device management can be prepared remotely before the space is finished.
- Laptops can be set up and enrolled in advance, so staff sign in on the first morning.
- Only the final installation, on-site configuration and testing need the finished space with power, cooling and internet live.
What can make a new office IT setup take longer?
Delays nearly always come from dependencies rather than from the IT work itself. Knowing them in advance lets you plan around them instead of discovering them in move-in week.
- Internet lines installed after the move date, leaving the office on a temporary mobile router.
- Building approvals that arrive late or restrict work to evenings and weekends.
- Fit-out delays, especially ceilings closing late or a comms room without power or cooling.
- Floor plan changes after cable positions have been fixed.
- Equipment with long delivery times, or a change of specification after ordering.
- Migrating email and files from an old system, which adds planning, a cut-over and user support.
- Larger or more complex offices: several floors, more than one site, or a phased move.
- Slow decisions on headcount, devices or who owns the domain and Microsoft 365 tenant.
What does a realistic new office IT timeline look like?
Example (hypothetical): a 25-person company signs a lease on a shell-and-core unit in a Dubai tower. On the day of signing it orders a primary and a failover line and requests building approval. The site survey takes place once the layout is agreed, and the itemised scope is signed straight away so equipment can be ordered. Cabling goes in while the ceilings are open, accounts and laptops are prepared in parallel, and the network is installed and tested in the final days. If a line is late, a temporary mobile router covers the first days and failover is tested once the line arrives.
Is relocating an existing office faster than a new setup?
Not necessarily. A relocation still needs lines, approvals and cabling at the new space, and adds its own work: deciding what to reuse, keeping the business running during the move and cutting over outside working hours, often across the Saturday and Sunday weekend. The office IT relocation checklist covers what changes when you move an existing team, and the office IT relocation service handles the move itself.
How does Listonics keep a new office IT timeline on track?
Listonics plans the IT from the free site survey onwards as one fixed-scope, itemised project and coordinates directly with your fit-out contractor on cable routes, rack location and power. Site work is carried out by Listonics engineers rather than subcontractors, everything is tested before staff arrive, and you receive a network diagram, asset register, account list and port map at handover. For what drives the budget, read the new office IT setup cost guide, or book a free office IT assessment.
Frequently asked questions
Sometimes, for a very small office moving into a fitted space with sound cabling and live internet lines, but it is not something to plan around. A rushed setup usually skips the survey, testing or documentation. Starting early, alongside the fit-out, is more dependable than compressing the work at the end.
It varies by building, provider and landlord access, and it is outside the control of both you and your IT provider. Order the primary and failover lines the day the lease is signed, ask building management which providers already serve the tower, and plan a temporary mobile router in case a line is late.
As soon as the lease is signed and before the fit-out drawings are final. That leaves time to order internet lines, request building approvals, add comms room and data point requirements to the drawings, and schedule cabling while ceilings are open, so the IT project runs in parallel with the fit-out.
Often it has to be, because many buildings restrict noisy work, riser access and deliveries to set hours. Rules differ from tower to tower, so confirm them when requesting approval. Out-of-hours work can extend the timeline and should be reflected in both the scope and the schedule.
Usually, yes. The two to four week range describes a typical 10–40 person office. Larger offices, several floors, more network segments, email and file migration, or a phased move all add design, installation and testing time. A site survey gives a realistic schedule for your space.
Last reviewed September 13, 2026 by the Listonics engineering team.