TalkingPointz Research: UCaaS Firms Move Into Hybrid Office Space Management

We've all seen the video where desktop devices seamlessly integrate into the PC's suite of applications. It’s a striking representation – not just of software eating hardware, but of the PC operating system poised to, then becoming the definitive platform for a wide range of functions.

Similarly, Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) providers are poised to eat the workplace reservations space.

The rise of hybrid work has amplified the demand for innovative tools to manage shared office spaces effectively. UCaaS providers bring a unique advantage to this challenge, leveraging their expertise in meeting room management to tackle broader workplace needs. This report explores the emerging opportunity for UCaaS providers, focusing on the two most committed players so far: Cisco and Zoom. While Microsoft has recently entered the market with its “Places” tool, which just became generally available, that solution is too new to fully evaluate at this time. (This report will be updated in the near future once that tool has a track record of experiences in the marketplace.)  This report centers on an in-depth comparison of Cisco Spaces and Zoom Workspace Reservation. By examining their features, differences, and strategic approaches, this report aims to empower users to select the solution that best fits their needs while also offering insights to help providers refine and enhance their offerings to meet the growing demands of hybrid workspace management.

Introduction

1. The now prevalent hybrid office requires new tools for space management.
2. UCaaS providers have a unique perspective on these requirements because of their expertise from meeting room management.
3. This represents a new opportunity for UCaaS providers.  So far, Zoom and Cisco are the most committed, but Microsoft has a tool called “Places” that just became GA and will be compared in a future update to this note.
4. This report examines Cisco’s and Zoom’s offerings, compares them, details the differences, and recommends what's needed for them and/or other providers to dominate the emerging demand for hybrid space management.
5. The two solutions compared here in detail are called Cisco Spaces and Zoom Workspace Reservation.
   This report compares only the offerings from those two traditional UCaaS providers. It does not include comparisons with other stand-alone, 3rd party offerings.
6. Microsoft has just made their workplace reservation management tool (Microsoft Places) generally available. While it is mentioned in this report it has not been available in its current form long enough to be examined as thoroughly as the other two solutions. This report will be subsequently updated to include Places in the future.
7. Cisco and Zoom have developed solutions using different approaches, but both are designed to begin meeting the growing needs for managing hybrid environments, each with unique features and approaches.
8. Cisco’s focus comes from a robust infrastructure portfolio of access points, switches, collaboration devices, and other sensors. It also ties into some Building Management Systems (BMS). Zoom focuses more specifically on reservable collaborative spaces, including desks, rooms, and any other shared locations.
9. Both Cisco Spaces and Zoom Workspace Reservation are intended to help organizations manage and monitor the use of certain shared spaces and provide metrics for utilization analysis. Beyond that, the two solutions differ greatly.

This report is 10 pages long with over 170 entries of data and analysis