Setting up a business in Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) or Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) involves more than just regulatory paperwork. Your IT infrastructure is the backbone of compliance and operational success in these leading financial free zones.
Since both zones have their own regulatory bodies, there are several regulatory and compliance requirements to consider when starting a business in the UAE, including legislation related to your IT needs.
Unlike traditional business setups, DIFC and ADGM operations require robust IT systems from day one to meet strict regulatory standards, protect sensitive financial data, and ensure smooth operations in highly regulated environments.
Understanding Your IT Needs: A Strategic Assessment
Before our team recommends any services or systems to your business, let’s start by understanding your business operations, future plans, and sector-specific needs.
Here are some key considerations you should keep in mind when planning your IT setup:
- Size of your workforce
- Scalability needs
- Applications specific to your sector
Here’s what each of these considerations means for your IT planning:
- Why your team size determines your compliance costs (and how to budget correctly)
The size of your team impacts the complexity of the IT environment, licensing needs, and infrastructure choices. You also need to consider your future selves, and whilst you may be a small team now, think if your systems need to be designed for scalability and growth.
- The hidden costs of poor IT planning (why future-proofing saves money)
You may plan to increase your headcount, bring in additional departments, or expand globally. Planning your IT requirements and predicted growth accordingly will ensure your IT has the room to expand and won’t become obsolete too quickly. Future-proofing your setup helps prevent costly rework, large migrations, or downtime later on.
- Industry-Specific Compliance Requirements (What Financial, Legal, and Healthcare Firms Must Know)
In the DIFC and ADGM, there are regulatory frameworks that often require industry-specific compliance, integrations, or software. We already support clients in both jurisdictions and can advise on aligning your software tools with IT security and regulatory compliance.
Critical Insight: Financial services firms must implement robust KYC/AML systems, law firms need strict document retention and secure archiving protocols, and healthcare providers must comply with patient data protection regulations — all in addition to standard IT requirements.
The Non-Negotiable IT Requirements That Make or Break Your Business
When it comes to your IT needs in the DIFC and ADGM, your systems must not only be functional but also compliant, stable, and secure. Here are the core business applications that should be in place:
- Data Security and Encryption: Sensitive data must be encrypted in transit and at rest, with secure storage solutions that align with the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) and Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) guidelines.
- Access Control and User Permissions: Role-based access should be enforced, with Multi-factor authentication and audit trails, to provide a layer of security and prevent unauthorised access.
- Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity: Businesses must maintain documented plans with defined Recovery Time Objectives (RTOs) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPOs), including regular testing and backups, to demonstrate that they are prepared for any major incidents, downtime, or data breaches.
- Patch Management and System Updates: All systems and endpoints must be kept up to date with security patches to reduce exposure to vulnerabilities, a key focus in both jurisdictions.
- Monitoring and Incident Response: Continuous monitoring, alerting, and an incident response plan are expected for firms handling regulated data or financial activity.
- Vendor Management and Cloud Compliance: If using third-party cloud services (AWS, Azure, etc), ensure the provider meets local data protection standards and that contractual agreements cover compliance responsibilities.
Microsoft 365 Solutions As a Backbone of Your Office
In today’s hybrid working world, businesses need flexible tools that support productivity, security and collaboration, without it feeling complex. Which is why so many businesses use Microsoft 365.
As a Microsoft Partner, we help you to make the most of that platform, from assisting you to set up your business domain, managing your tenant, enabling secure file storage, version control and promoting tools that streamline team collaboration.
Using Microsoft Teams as your central communication hub, you can keep chats, calls, meetings and files all in one place, making it easier for your teams to stay aligned.
UAE Data Residency Advantage
Microsoft is also committed to UAE data residency and global compliance standards, which means your business stays protected wherever your team is working from. Microsoft’s UAE data centers ensure your business data stays within the region, meeting strict DIFC/ADGM compliance requirements while maintaining global accessibility.
We also support you beyond your setup, assisting with user training, license management, and ongoing support so that your team can use the tools that make a difference.
Point-of-Sale Systems That Won’t Fail Your Next Audit
If your business includes a retail or Food and Beverage aspect, we can advise on and install cloud-based POS Systems that integrate with your financial / accounting systems. We already support many restaurants and cafes, including multi-location setups, complying with the data storage requirements for DIFC and ADGM Data.
Compliance Tip: Make sure your POS can issue UAE VAT-compliant tax invoices (incl. TRN, VAT breakdown, date/time, etc.), export the FTA Audit File (FAF) on request, and retain transaction records for at least 5 years (15 years for real estate). Non-localized POS systems often miss these requirements and risk audit findings. Also ensure you’re e-invoicing ready ahead of the UAE rollout.
The Network Infrastructure That Keeps Your Business Running
DIFC and ADGM are high-performance environments and therefore need a fast, secure, and resilient network and connectivity to ensure your daily operations run efficiently. With strict cybersecurity and data protection frameworks, we can ensure configurations meet those standards, whilst also supporting your operational flexibility.
Bandwidth Requirements That Match Your Needs
Understanding your daily usage and current data size, helps us understand your typical usage and helps us to recommend business-grade internet solutions that match your performance needs and budget.
Performance Benchmark: Teams relying on cloud-based systems should budget for at least 10–20 Mbps per user, depending on workload. High-bandwidth activities like HD video conferencing, large file transfers, and real-time collaboration can quickly saturate residential-grade connections, making a business-grade link with strong upload speeds and low latency essential.
Redundant Internet Connection as Business Continuity Insurance
It is essential to have a failover connection, ensuring dual connectivity with different Internet Service Providers (ISPs). Downtime in critical sectors such as finance or law can be costly. If one line were to go down, your operations can run seamlessly on the additional connection.
Secure Remote Access That Actually Works
If you have a hybrid working policy and require a Virtual Private Network (VPN), we can create an encrypted and compliant VPN solution for data confidentiality. We strive to ensure compatibility with firewalls, access control policies, and work with growing teams in the UAE or internationally.
Security Reality: Consumer VPNs often fail to meet most compliance requirements. Enterprise VPN solutions with UAE-based servers and proper encryption standards are non-negotiable for regulated businesses.
Data Storage Decisions That Determine Your Compliance Fate
In regulated free zones such as the DIFC and ADGM, there are many regulations and policies regarding the way you store, share, and secure data. Both the DIFC and ADGM approve of cloud-based solutions, provided they meet strict data security and privacy standards.
Cloud vs. On-Premises vs. Hybrid
We aim to assist with understanding the approach that is best for your business and the size of data you will be handling.
- Cloud Storage – offers flexibility and scalability.
- On-Premise Servers – offer full control and in-house compliance.
- Hybrid Models – offer a balance of cloud flexibility with localised data control.
Backup and Disaster Recovery: Your Business Insurance Policy
The regulatory bodies, the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) and the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA), ensure that businesses meet international compliance standards and provide guidance on information security and digital assets.
We offer consultation on the following:
- Daily Backups – with secure off-site storage
- Data Archiving – aligning policies with specific sector requirements
- Disaster Recovery Plans – including understanding how much data loss is acceptable and how quickly your systems need to be back up and running.
We can tailor solutions for storage architecture that assist performance, compliance, and peace of mind.
Operating Systems and Productivity: The Foundation That Everything Builds On
When setting up a business, your team’s productivity depends on the tools and platforms they are using. It is important to choose the right setup and then maintain it properly.
Windows vs. Mac vs. Mixed: What to Choose?
We support all major operating systems, whether your office is fully Windows-based, entirely Mac, or running in a hybrid environment.
- Windows Environments – ideal for finance, law, professional services or companies using enterprise tools like Microsoft 365, Power BI for Dynamics 365.
- Best for: Maximum compatibility with business software and easier IT management.
- Mac Environments – Often preferred by creative agencies, media firms, startups, or leadership teams who prioritise performance.
- Best for: Creative work, but limited business software options in the UAE market.
- Mixed Environments – This is common in workplaces where different departments have different needs. For example, a Windows-based HR and Finance team, but a Mac-based design team.
- Reality check: Mixed environments increase support costs by 40-60%.
Managed Services: Your Outsourced IT Department
Kew Solutions acts as your outsourced IT department, and once your systems are in place, we offer:
- Remote Monitoring – for all devices and networks. 24/7 monitoring prevents 80% of IT issues before they impact your business.
- Patch Management – to keep operating systems and software up to date. Automated updates ensure you’re never vulnerable to known security threats.
- Security Updates and Endpoint protection – helping to reduce risks of cyber-attacks and data breaches. Endpoint security stops 95% of malware before it reaches your systems.
- User Support and Troubleshooting – assisting with resolving IT issues and minimizing downtime. Average response time: 15 minutes or less for critical issues.
Our goal at Kew Solutions is to help our clients keep their infrastructure and data secure, compliant, and running smoothly. So your team can focus on growing the business.
Don’t Let IT Compliance Become Your Business Bottleneck
The difference between businesses that thrive in DIFC and ADGM and those that struggle often comes down to one thing: they got their IT infrastructure right from day one.
The choice is yours: Invest in proper IT infrastructure now or pay exponentially more later when compliance issues force expensive emergency fixes.
With over 10 years of experience supporting regulated businesses in the DIFC and ADGM, Kew Solutions is your trusted partner in building secure, compliant, and scalable IT environments. Whether you’re just setting up or looking to optimise, we provide the tools, support, and expertise to keep your business one step ahead.
Ready to build your bulletproof IT foundation? Get your free IT consultation to discover exactly what your business needs to meet DIFC/ADGM requirements without breaking the bank.
