What Is Workspaces?

Before the massive expansion in telecommuting, the notion of a workspace was closely tied to a physical location — a designated desk in an office building, a physical phone extension, and access to a static set of shared resources, such as meeting rooms and office equipment. Today, the term workspace refers to similar assets, but it’s no longer confined to a physical location. A smart workspace is a set of shared collaboration tools and resources a team can use from any site to perform their daily tasks.

How Do Workspaces Work?

Thinks of a smart workspace as a single, unified environment that your team can access via the Internet from a wide range of devices. One application in this workspace will handle voice conversations, messaging, and shared videos. Another will process calendar data, project management, and a list of prioritized tasks broken down by section and team member. Important files, procedures, and policy documents will be stored in a central repository, and team members will be able to interact with this data in real-time, sharing their knowledge and perspectives from any location.

Benefits of Workspaces

Workspaces allow remote teams with a mobile workforce to work together effectively. Here are a few of the main advantages you can gain from a dedicated business workspace.

• Flexibility: A smart workspace isn’t tethered to a specific desk at a single location. By offering a consistent experience that works across a wide range of devices, your team can work flexibly without compromising consistency and professionalism.
• Work-life balance: A smart workspace makes it more feasible for teams to work remotely in a coordinated and effective way. This in turn can afford more people in your team the opportunity to effectively merge their work and home lives. Fostering a good work-life balance isn't just good for morale, it's a growing priority for job seekers.
• Biosafety: In a world deeply impacted by COVID-19, a virtual workspace makes it easier to work as a close-knit team without needing to occupy the same physical location. This makes for a safer work environment and a healthier workforce.

Who Should Use Workspaces

Smart workspaces are ideal for any business with remote team members, or that has workers who work both offsite and onsite. It’s a particularly useful technology for enterprises facing the challenge of maintaining a consistent approach to work while also accommodating the flexibility to telecommute.