Best apps and tools to productively work from home in the UAE

• Video calling apps
• Messaging apps
• Apps for remote desktop access
• Project management tools
• Online collaboration

In a bid to limit the spread of coronavirus (Covid-19) in the UAE, the government has announced certain business continuity guidelines to ensure companies operating within the UAE’s economy can run efficiently. One of these initiatives is for businesses to practise social distancing by opting for the ‘work-from-home’ model for employees whose duties can be performed at home. If you are working from home in Dubai or anywhere else in the UAE, there are some great tools and applications that you and your team can use to ensure maximum productivity. Here is a list of some of the best instant messaging apps, calling apps and other work from home apps in the UAE.

BEST WORK FROM HOME APPS IN THE UAE

You can find plenty of paid and free apps to work from home in the UAE. Let’s start off with the best video calling apps in the UAE, that can be used by employees working from home.

VIDEO CALLING APPS IN THE UAE

You can conduct remote meetings with your teams with the following video calling apps in the UAE.

ZOOM

First up on our list of video calling apps to work from home in the UAE is the Zoom Video Conferencing app. Known to be the number one corporate video communications solution, Zoom has several helpful features for its users to connect with team members. This includes audio and video calls, instant messaging and file sharing. 

But is Zoom free to use in the UAE? The answer is yes!

Zoom has a free plan where users can host unlimited group meetings for a maximum of 40 minutes each. The free plan also allows users to host video calls with groups of up 100 video participants at once. Zoom can be used on many devices including smartphones, desktop, laptop and others.

WEBEX

Webex is another free video conferencing tool that businesses and individuals can use to host video calls in the UAE. It has a similar interface to Zoom offering features such as instant messaging, hosting video meetings, sharing files and even screen sharing. However, the only limitation is that users can host meetings with a maximum of 50 participants only. 

BOTIM

BOTIM is one of the few internet calling apps approved in the UAE, which you can use when working from home in the UAE. It’s can be accessed on smartphones, laptops and desktop computers.

With BOTIM, users can make HD video and voice calls to anyone in the UAE or even worldwide! This app also has a chat feature, through which users can send messages, photos, voice messages and videos.

It also has a feature to initiate a group chat with up to 500 people, which makes this app great for businesses working from home in the UAE.

INSTANT MESSAGING APPS IN THE UAE

If you need to quickly get a message across to your teams who are remotely working in the UAE, here are some instant messaging applications that can be used by teams working from home in the UAE.

SLACK

Slack is one of the most popular instant messaging apps for businesses in the UAE and the rest of the world. It is particularly great for teams spread across various locations. On Slack, you can create workspaces for your entire business, within which teams can create private and public channels, as well as have one on one chats. Users can also integrate apps like Zoom, Google Drive and others to easily conduct business from Slack itself.

Slack does have a calling feature, however, when we tried it, it doesn’t seem to work well over different networks.

WHATSAPP

We all know about WhatsApp. It is one of the most popular instant messaging apps in Dubai and the rest of the UAE. If you need to get a quick message across, WhatsApp is the easiest and quickest way to connect with anyone across the world. You can also use it to create group chats with up to 256 people, as well as share photos, videos, links and documents instantly. On groups chats, you can even set restrictions allowing only the admins to post. You can even connect WhatsApp to your laptop or desktop using the WhatsApp Web feature.

WhatsApp also has voice and video calling for its users, however, WhatsApp calling does not currently work in the UAE.  

REMOTE DESKTOP APPLICATIONS

If you aren’t able to take your systems home, here are some applications in the UAE that allow you to connect to any desktop from a remote location.

TEAM VIEWER

TeamViewer is a free application that allows you to remotely access and control the desktop of your computers and servers. It the ideal tool for businesses who require access to company serves and desktops that cannot be moved. To use TeamViewer, all you need is a strong internet connection and the TeamViewer application installed on the desktop you want to access. This application is compatible with Windows, macOS, Chrome OS, and Linux machines. You can even use your smartphone to remotely access your machine from anywhere you are. 

ANYDESK

Just like TeamViewer, AnyDesk offers a secure way to access desktops remotely. This free-to-use software is another great solution to if you need to work from home in the UAE. You can connect desktops running Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS operating systems.

CHROME REMOTE DESKTOP

Operating on the same principles as AnyDesk and TeamViewer, Chrome Remote Desktop allows users to access their work systems from home in the UAE.

You can use either your personal desktop, laptop or mobile device to get access to the files stored on your work systems. It works on Windows, Mac or Linux based systems. You will need to download the Chrome Remote Desktop app to use your mobile device for remote access.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT TOOLS

Managing deadlines when working from home can be a challenge. But there are plenty of online tools that you can use to manage deadlines for teams working from home. Here are some of the best project management tools that can be used if you are working from home in the UAE. 

AIRTABLE

Airtable helps visualise your tasks in an interactive spreadsheet. You can use it to track your teams’ daily performance as well as manage project tasks and deadlines. There is a free version available for remote workers in the UAE, but if you need to create detailed reports, you might need to opt for the paid version.

ASANA

With Asana, you can easily organise and plan workflows for multiple projects. You can assign tasks to team members and set deadlines. Team members can also comment and attach files on tasks assigned to them.

TRELLO 

Trello is one of the best project management tools to visualise your tasks into categories. You can divide tasks into the stacks like To do, doing and done.

OTHER HELPFUL TOOLS TO WORK FROM HOME IN THE UAE

Here are some other helpful tools to use when working from home in the UAE.

GOOGLE SUITE 

Google Suite aka G-Suite is one of the best tools to work from home in the UAE. With G-Suite you can access applications such as Microsft  Word, Excel, Presentations using an online interface. The online interface of these Microsft applications allows multiple users to simultaneously work on the same document promoting efficient work techniques. Users also have the option to save and upload important files, documents, photos and videos on Google Drive and instantly share it. It is one of the best free tools to work from home in Dubai.

CANVA 

This tool is particularly great for design and marketing teams who need to collaborate on designs for social media posts or graphics for any promotional material. Users can easily create shareable links to design folders and invite members to collaborate on changes for a design. However, this is a paid feature and is available under the Enterprise package which costs USD 30 /user/month, billed yearly.

OFFICE LENS

If you need to scan documents for work, this is a handy tool to use. Working like a portable scanner, the app helps you capture images of documents that need to be scanned, which you can then save and edit as per your requirements.

The app is very helpful since you can convert images into Word and PowerPoint files. If you need it in a PDF format, that too is possible with this online scanner for working from home in the UAE. the app is free to download on Google Play and App Store.

That concludes this list of apps that residents in the UAE can use when working from home. You can use these apps and follow these guidelines to efficiently work from home in the UAE. From the abovementioned apps and tools, we are using Zoom, Airtable and Slack to connect with our teams and work from home so we can help you find your home.

With the situation of Covid-19 changing every day, it’s important that we keep ourselves safe by practising social distancing and limiting the spread of the virus. The UAE has tons of online tools that can be utilised during this time. If you are in need of groceries, here are 15 online grocery delivery apps that will deliver essentials to your doorstep. As for people who aren’t great cooks, here are some of the best food delivery apps you can use to get your favourite meal sent to you.