A digital workplace is the full set of technology employees use to do their jobs: their devices, productivity and collaboration apps, business applications, access to information, and the IT support behind them, planned and managed as one experience rather than as separate tools. The term is used both for that environment and for the strategy of improving it. When an outside provider runs some or all of it, the offering is usually called digital workplace services.
At a glance
- The digital workplace covers devices, apps, collaboration, information access and IT support, viewed from the employee’s side.
- It applies to office, remote and hybrid workers, and increasingly to frontline staff.
- Digital workplace services are the managed form, commonly bundling service desk, device management and collaboration tool support.
- It is typically measured by employee experience and productivity as well as by uptime and ticket counts.
- Most organizations combine several vendors; the challenge is making them work as one experience.
What problem it solves
Employee technology often grows one tool at a time. A new collaboration app is added, a remote access tool is bought in a hurry, laptops are sourced from one supplier and supported by another, and each department picks its own software. The result is an experience employees describe as fragmented: too many logins, information scattered across apps, inconsistent devices, and a help desk that can only see part of the picture.
A digital workplace approach treats all of this as one service. It sets standards for devices and tools, connects them through shared identity and integration, and measures how well the whole environment works for employees. For buyers, it also shapes how services are sourced: either as one bundled managed service or as several services coordinated against the same experience goals.
How it works
Devices and endpoints. Laptops, phones and other devices are standardized, set up through automated deployment and managed with unified endpoint management tools. Some organizations buy devices as a service.
Productivity and collaboration. Email, documents, chat, meetings and calling, often from one suite, form the core. See collaboration tools.
Virtual desktops and app access. Desktop as a service (DaaS) or virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) can deliver apps to unmanaged devices, contractors or specialist roles.
Identity and security. Single sign-on, multi-factor authentication and device policies let employees reach what they need without repeated logins, while protecting data.
Support. A help desk or service desk, self-service portals and, where needed, on-site field support handle requests and problems.
Experience measurement. Digital experience monitoring (DEM) tools and employee surveys show where devices, apps or networks are slowing people down.
Digital workplace services. In the managed form, a provider takes on some or all of these layers under one contract, often with service levels on support and device delivery, and sometimes experience-based targets.
When it matters for buyers
- When moving to hybrid or remote work. Office-centric setups often don’t serve people who work from anywhere.
- When renewing the help desk or device contracts. Combining them can simplify coordination, though the contract still needs to say which provider is accountable for which outcomes.
- When growing quickly or opening new sites. Standard devices and onboarding speed up getting new staff productive.
- When tool sprawl drives cost and confusion. A workplace review often finds overlapping apps and licenses.
- When employee experience is a business goal. Experience data helps prioritize spend where it makes the most difference.
Questions to ask vendors
- Which layers of the digital workplace do you deliver yourselves, and which do you subcontract or leave with us?
- How do you measure employee experience, and are any service levels tied to it?
- Which device management, collaboration and virtual desktop platforms do you support?
- How do you handle onboarding and offboarding, from device shipping to account removal?
- What support hours, languages and on-site coverage do you provide for our locations?
- How is the service priced: per user, per device or by component?
- If we change providers, how are devices, configurations and knowledge articles handed over?
How it differs from employee experience
Employee experience (EX) is the overall experience people have at work, including culture, management, physical space and technology. The digital workplace is the technology part of it: the tools and support that shape how work gets done day to day. Improving the digital workplace is one way to improve employee experience, but not the only one. For one of the core services, see our help desk overview.