Workplace as a Service: Delivering the Future of the Digital Workplace

The way we work is undergoing a profound transformation. Companies are moving away from the old model of outfitting offices piece by piece and towards holistic solutions that encompass everything employees need to work effectively. Enter Workplace as a Service (WaaS) – an emerging model where the entire workplace environment (devices, software, support, and even office infrastructure) is provided as a subscription service. This concept extends the “as-a-Service” approach to the complete work setup, aiming to create a seamless, flexible, and fully managed workplace for employees, whether they’re in the office or remote.

For businesses, Workplace as a Service offers a way to ensure every worker has a productive, secure, and up-to-date environment without the traditional overhead of managing each component in-house. In this post, we’ll explain what WaaS entails, its benefits for modern organisations, and how ViadexOne’s solutions align with this trend to empower the digital workplace.

What is Workplace as a Service (WaaS)?

Workplace as a Service can be thought of as a natural evolution of Device as a Service, broadened to cover all the technology and services a person needs in their work environment. WaaS packages hardware (laptops, desktops, monitors, mobile devices), software licences, cloud services, security services, support, and even office equipment into a unified offering billed on a monthly per-user basis.

Instead of a company buying and maintaining these elements separately, a WaaS provider delivers a ready-to-use “workplace” to each employee. This could include the physical devices, pre-loaded with required software, as well as ongoing services like cybersecurity protection, data backup, helpdesk support, and maintenance.

In practice, WaaS might mean an employee’s entire workstation – their laptop, docking station, keyboard, productivity software suite, VPN access, etc. – comes as a service. When that employee is onboarded, the provider equips them quickly (often shipping a kit to their location, fully configured). Throughout the employee’s tenure, the provider ensures everything works (patches applied, equipment functioning) and when the equipment becomes old or the employee leaves, the provider refreshes or retrieves it. The objective is to provide a “trouble-free IT environment” for users, while eliminating the heavy lifting for the company’s IT department.

It’s a comprehensive outsourcing of workplace enablement. WaaS also often includes layered services such as insurance for devices, data erasure services, or even physical workspace design in some cases. Essentially, if it’s part of making an employee productive (from a technology standpoint), it can be bundled into Workplace as a Service.

Why WaaS? Key Benefits for Businesses and IT

All-in-One Solution, Simplified Management
The most immediate benefit of Workplace as a Service is simplification. Rather than dealing with multiple vendors and internal teams for hardware, software, support, and upgrades, you have one provider, one contract, and one monthly bill. This streamlines IT operations drastically. Routine tasks such as procuring new laptops, setting up accounts, updating software, resolving user issues, and decommissioning old equipment are handled by the WaaS provider.

Your IT team can oversee the service via a central dashboard and ensure SLAs are met, but they aren’t doing all the manual work. As a result, IT staff are freed to focus on strategic projects rather than day-to-day device troubleshooting. Workplace as a Service is fully managed from provisioning to ongoing support, allowing IT to focus on more important tasks. This comprehensive management also provides peace of mind that no aspect of the employee’s IT setup is neglected – everything is maintained in harmony by professionals.

Cost Savings and Predictable Expenses
WaaS converts large, upfront investments in equipment and software into a steady operational expense. Companies avoid big capital outlays for new hardware or major software licences. Instead, they pay a fixed monthly fee per user (or per workspace). This fixed rental rate model provides transparent monthly costs, making budgeting easier.

Often, the overall cost is lower than doing it yourself because providers achieve economies of scale and efficient resource use. For example, a WaaS provider might pool software licences so you’re not paying for unused ones, or consolidate support to reduce redundant labour. Additionally, by preventing overspending on technology that isn’t used (through right-sizing each user’s setup), WaaS can reduce waste.

A clear example of savings is on device refresh cycles – under WaaS, the cost of keeping technology updated is built in, so you don’t face large periodic spikes to replace outdated kit. Many organisations find that over a 3–5 year span, WaaS costs less than buying and supporting all components in-house, while delivering more value.

Up-to-Date Technology and Maintenance Included
With Workplace as a Service, upgrades and maintenance are part of the package. This means all user devices and software are kept current. When a new version of a productivity suite or an operating system update comes out, the provider handles rolling that out. If an employee’s laptop is due for replacement after, say, 36 months, the service automatically provides a new one (with data migration handled).

Employees always have modern tools, which boosts productivity and security. WaaS providers often include robust measures such as patching, antivirus, device encryption, and data removal services when hardware is retired. For instance, if a laptop is returned, the provider will professionally wipe its data to safeguard company information. This level of diligence is hard to maintain consistently in a purely in-house model. By entrusting it to a service, you ensure no device falls through the cracks in updates or secure disposal.

Enhanced Employee Onboarding and Experience
Workplace as a Service can greatly improve the employee experience, especially during onboarding. New hires receive a fully set-up workspace quickly, sometimes personalised to their role or preferences. For example, a new employee might get to choose certain peripherals or have software pre-installed based on their function.

This not only makes them productive from day one but also gives a positive impression about the company’s efficiency. Additionally, if an employee has an issue (say their laptop has an error), they have direct access to support through the WaaS provider – often 24/7 – ensuring fast resolution. For the company, this means fewer support tickets hitting the internal helpdesk and less downtime for the user.

Flexibility and Scalability
WaaS shines in its ability to adapt to your business needs. Need to scale up quickly? The service can provision new workstations rapidly for however many new employees or contractors you onboard. If you need to scale down (for instance, closing an office or reducing staff), you can return the equipment and adjust the subscription, avoiding sunk costs in hardware.

This elasticity is especially valuable in today’s uncertain business climate. Furthermore, WaaS supports hybrid and remote work models seamlessly. Employees can be anywhere; the provider will ship their kit to their home and support them remotely just as they would in a central office.

Improved Transparency and Monitoring
A perhaps underappreciated benefit of WaaS is the visibility it provides. Good WaaS solutions include dashboards or reports on asset usage, performance, and costs. You gain transparency into your overall workplace assets and their status.

For example, you can see how many devices are active, where they are, which software licences are in use, and how quickly support issues are resolved. This can inform better decision-making and improve IT governance.

ViadexOne and the Workplace-as-a-Service Vision

ViadexOne’s combination of MDLS (Managed Device Lifecycle Services) and DEX (Digital Employee Experience) solutions effectively delivers a Workplace as a Service model for clients. The platform was built to simplify the way organisations deploy, manage, and support end-user devices and digital experiences.

• Complete Device + Experience Management: ViadexOne continually monitors how devices are performing for employees and takes action to improve their experience. This fulfils the WaaS promise of a “trouble-free IT environment”.

• Tailored Solutions by Role and Need: ViadexOne offers solutions by role (IT Manager, CIO, HR, Finance, Security, Sustainability Officers, etc.) and by need (eliminating digital friction, driving ESG goals, enhancing DEX). This ensures solutions are fit-for-purpose rather than one-size-fits-all.

• Lifecycle and ESG Focus: ViadexOne’s Zero Waste philosophy means hardware is renewed only when needed. Devices are recycled or repurposed sustainably, helping clients achieve ESG targets while avoiding wasted resources.

• One-Stop Global Partner: With decades of experience and operations in over 190 countries, ViadexOne provides consistent Workplace-as-a-Service delivery worldwide, managing complexities such as customs and compliance for clients.
  
  
  

In Conclusion

Workplace as a Service represents a new spin on the traditional workplace, transforming it into a flexible service that grows and evolves with your business. By embracing WaaS, companies can provide employees with a top-notch digital workplace without the headaches of managing it all internally.

This model fosters agility – new employees get what they need quickly, new offices spin up with minimal fuss, and the entire organisation benefits from up-to-date technology and proactive support. With hybrid work here to stay, the ability to deliver an “office in a box” to any location is incredibly valuable. Moreover, WaaS ensures workplace IT is always aligned with best practices in security and sustainability, through expert management.

If your organisation is striving to improve employee productivity, support a distributed workforce, or simply reduce the complexity of IT operations, Workplace as a Service could be the solution. ViadexOne offers a comprehensive approach to WaaS, integrating device lifecycle services with digital experience management to cover every angle.

The future of work is a managed, responsive, and user-centric workplace – and ViadexOne is poised to deliver just that as a service. Ready to transform your workplace into a service? Contact ViadexOne to learn how Workplace-as-a-Service can be tailored to your organisation. Whether you need to deploy hundreds of devices globally or want to enhance the digital experience for your teams, ViadexOne can design a solution that meets your needs. Empower your employees with a seamless, efficient workplace – and leave the management to us.