Blog > September 2026 >

The Door Tablet Evaluation Guide: How to Test Our Room Booking Solution Open

September 2, 2026 3 min read

When you are ready to select a room booking solution, you need to know exactly how it will perform within your unique IT infrastructure and physical office space.

We offer the most comprehensive base for testing our Door Tablet products on the market. Whether you want to explore the software in a sandbox, run it on your own servers, or physically mount displays outside your meeting rooms, this guide breaks down every way your teams can evaluate Door Tablet before buying.

Key Takeaways

• Door Tablet offers a range of evaluation options for prospects interested in our room-booking solution.
• You can test the Door Tablet software on your own server to evaluate security, firewall rules and workflows.
• We offer an Interactive Demo Directory where you can discover the software interface.

What is Door Tablet?

Door Tablet is a complete workspace management solution that provides both scheduling software and physical touchscreen displays for your meeting spaces. The platform connects directly to your calendar, such as Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, instantly updating the screen outside the room when someone books a meeting to stop double-bookings and interrupted conversations.

Our team enables organisations to thoroughly evaluate our scheduling software and physical displays before making a purchase. Prospects can test native integrations through live demos, temporary licenses, and 30-day hardware pilots.

Explore the different ways your team can evaluate our solution, from initial discovery through to hands-on testing for administrators and IT teams:

Level 1: Guided Exploration and Sandbox Testing

Personalised Live Demonstrations

We provide a tailored Zoom walkthrough focusing on your specific scheduling platform and architecture requirements. Register for a free demo.

Interactive Demo Directory

You can immediately click through the software and room display interfaces in our public demonstration environment. An account on our website is required to access the Demo Directory.



Considering a room scheduling solution for your office? Read this article to learn how to build the case and get your team on board.

Door Tablet School

We have a comprehensive library of training videos and technical guidance. These materials show exactly what setup and administration look like behind the scenes. You can access them whenever you need them.

Level 2: Software Evaluation on Your Own Infrastructure

Test on Your Own Network

IT teams can validate security, firewall rules, and workflows by connecting the software to your own server. First, create an account on our website, then learn how to test our software on your server.

Read more about Door Tablet’s deployment options

Temporary Evaluation Licenses

You can request a temporary license to test live integrations with our supported scheduling platforms, including Microsoft 365, Exchange, or Google Workspace using your own calendar data. This license removes the standard "evaluation software" pop-up that appears after one hour of unlicensed use.

Free Server for Small Deployments

The Door Tablet server is completely free for customer-hosted deployments of four rooms or fewer. Room licenses are still required. This provides the perfect bridge between a trial and a live rollout.

Level 3: Hardware Pilots and Proof of Concept (PoC)

30-Day Hardware Evaluation Programme

You can test the physical tablets in a real-world environment for 30 days and return them if you and your team choose not to proceed. Your facility teams should use this time to test physical mounting options, touch-interface responsiveness, and RFID/NFC badge check-ins.

Learn how to successfully roll out Door Tablet Room Scheduling Solution across your office.

Technical Workshops and Architecture Review

Most customers successfully set up their PoC using our included support, manuals, and video resources. However, if you'd like us to take care of the full setup, plan wider rollout strategies, and handle complex integrations, you can purchase dedicated, in-depth consulting hours as needed.

Ready to start your evaluation? Book a personalised live demonstration with our technical team today.

FAQs

How can I test Door Tablet on my own network?
IT teams can install the software on their own servers or use our temporary evaluation licenses to connect Door Tablet directly to their scheduling platform. Supported platforms include Microsoft 365, Exchange, Google Workspace, Building Engines Prism, LibCal, HCL Domino, GCC High and more.

Is there a free version of the Door Tablet server?
Yes, if you host the Door Tablet server yourself, the server software is free for deployments of 4  rooms or fewer. You only need to acquire the necessary room licenses.

Can we test the physical room displays before buying?
Yes, Door Tablet offers a 30-day hardware evaluation programme. You can deploy the physical tablets to test mounting options, RFID features, and occupancy sensors, with the option to return them if needed.

Blog > August 2026 >

How to Scale a Room Scheduler Solution Across Multiple Office Locations without IT Burnout Open

August 26, 2026 3 min read

You can scale a room scheduler solution across multiple locations without increasing IT workload by using a centralised management platform that eliminates local infrastructure. It is incredibly rewarding to see IT teams escape the cycle of local server patching and onsite troubleshooting.

Managing remote hardware is notoriously difficult, but the right setup makes it remarkably straightforward. A central platform allows managing meeting room displays in every building from a single dashboard, preventing burnout while keeping global meeting spaces functioning flawlessly.

In this article, you will find out how to deploy and manage Door Tablet across multiple offices worldwide from one central platform, without adding local servers or increasing IT workload.

Key Takeaways

• A single Door Tablet deployment manages hardware across multiple buildings and countries.

• Door Tablet CONNECT removes the need for local server infrastructure.

• IT teams configure, update, and troubleshoot devices remotely from a single dashboard.

What is a Centralised Room Scheduler Solution?

A centralised room scheduler solution is a unified management platform controlling meeting displays across multiple geographical locations from a single server. Door Tablet provides an excellent, scalable option for this exact setup. It eliminates the need for local infrastructure, allowing IT administrators to configure, update, and monitor displays remotely.

4 Steps to Manage Multiple Locations Without the Burnout

Step 1: Choose a Room Scheduler Solution Built for Scale

Managing a fragmented hardware ecosystem creates an exhausting support burden for any helpdesk. The priority is to select a platform that supports growth without multiplying administrative tasks. You want to avoid the headache of logging into separate dashboards to manage individual buildings. A proper system lets administrators define branding, device behaviours, and booking rules when it is needed. This configuration guarantees a consistent user experience on every tablet across your offices.

Step 2: Implement a Central Management Server or Cloud Dashboard

Your IT team can choose between hosting on your own server or Door Tablet CONNECT. For those comparing server deployment options, a dedicated article explores the differences in detail. CONNECT removes the need to maintain server infrastructure entirely, which is a massive relief for system administrators. A single deployment supports multiple offices globally. Administrators add new locations without building out a separate management environment or provisioning new virtual machines.


Access all neighbourhoods (offices) worldwide in one place directly on the Door Tablet Dashboard.

Step 3: Sync with Enterprise Calendars

Disconnected calendar systems cause booking conflicts that inevitably escalate to the helpdesk. The system uses the same Microsoft 365, Exchange, or Google Workspace integration across all locations. Users experience identical booking interfaces whether they are in London or Tokyo. This directly reduces frantic support tickets regarding calendar sync failures or double-booked rooms, giving everyone a much smoother workday.

Step 4: Automate Remote Configuration and Troubleshooting

Sending technicians to deal with basic display issues drains both budget and morale. Administrators can perform device configuration, updates, and troubleshooting remotely. Central management allows IT teams to avoid the heavy overhead of supporting separate systems in each office. Fixing an offline display directly from the dashboard is a fantastic capability that saves countless hours.

FAQs

Do I need a separate room scheduler solution server for each office location?
No, a single Door Tablet deployment supports multiple offices, buildings, and countries. Customers manage all locations centrally from one customer-hosted server or through the Door Tablet CONNECT cloud platform. Adding new offices requires zero new management environments, drastically reducing local IT infrastructure requirements and maintenance hours.

How do you manage Door Tablet firmware updates remotely?
Administrators can push firmware updates and configuration changes to every meeting room tablet directly from the central management console. This remote capability eliminates the need for onsite IT visits. Teams schedule global updates during off-hours, ensuring device compliance and security without disrupting daily office operations or weekend personal time. On selected Door Tablet hardware, this can even be managed securely over a cloud connection without requiring a separate Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution.

Conclusion and Next Steps

Scaling a room scheduler solution requires choosing a vendor who can provide the system to do that seamlessly. Centralised management prevents IT burnout by eliminating local servers and remote troubleshooting hurdles. Your company can expand efficiently when a single platform controls the global deployment.
Book a demo today to see how Door Tablet simplifies multi-office management for the IT department.

Blog > June 2026 >

Microsoft 365 Booking System: How to Book Rooms Open

June 10, 2026 4 min read

Door Tablet integrates natively with Microsoft 365 to improve your office room booking process. This applies to all versions, and importantly Microsoft GCC High users in North America.

We will explain exactly how connecting purpose-built hardware to your digital calendar fixes the disconnect between booking a room online and using it in person.

We will walk you through exactly what you need to know to make your workplace run smoothly. You will learn how to eliminate double bookings, how your team can book rooms directly from a hallway display, and the key features of this integration.

Key Takeaways

• Native Microsoft 365 integration prevents double bookings: Door Tablet reads and writes directly to your calendar data without a middleman, solving the problem of invisible scheduling errors.
• Door Tablet hardware provides direct hallway access: These purpose-built booking tablets allow employees to reserve meeting rooms instantly by interacting directly with the company’s Microsoft 365 calendar.
• Flexible and secure deployment for IT teams: The solution is built on the Microsoft Graph API and can be deployed on the cloud or on-premise to match specific security and infrastructure needs

Why do meeting rooms still get double-booked in Microsoft 365?

Microsoft 365 meeting rooms still get double-booked because of improper calendar configurations and manual user errors that bypass the automatic scheduling system. When room mailboxes are not set to decline conflicting meetings automatically, the digital calendar fails to prevent overlaps and creates awkward situations where two groups show up for the same space.

Without booking tablets outside the room to display the live Microsoft 365 schedule, these technical and human errors remain completely invisible to the rest of the office. The error only becomes obvious when an officially scheduled group walks in and has to interrupt the people who are already sitting there awkwardly.

How do you integrate a room booking tablet with Microsoft 365?

You integrate a room booking tablet with Microsoft 365 by securely connecting the software natively to your existing digital calendar. Because Door Tablet integrates natively with Microsoft 365, it accesses your scheduling system directly.
This direct connection ensures the physical display outside the room is always looking at the true, live state of your Outlook calendar, eliminating any synchronization lag or conflicts.



Your IT teams will appreciate that the Door Tablet runs on the cloud or on-prem, giving you total control over your security and infrastructure.

What are the key features of Door Tablet's Microsoft 365 integration?

The key features of Door Tablet’s M365 integration ensure your physical office and digital workspace are aligned through secure, direct access. These features include instant calendar interaction, flexible deployment options, and native video conferencing tools.

When you connect your scheduling system to our purpose-built displays, you get a complete workspace management solution. The system is designed to make hybrid work straightforward by offering several practical capabilities:

• Direct Calendar Access: Door Tablet interacts directly with your Microsoft 365 calendar. There is no synchronization process, meaning bookings made on the tablet or in Outlook are instantly visible on both ends without risk of falling out of sync.
• Secure and Scalable: Built on the Microsoft Graph API for robust security and future-proof performance (ideal for SMEs and global enterprises alike)
• Flexible deployment: You can run the software on the cloud, on-prem or on Door Tablet CONNECT, allowing the system to adapt to your specific IT infrastructure and security requirements.
• Native video scheduling: Your team can add a Microsoft Teams or Zoom link right from the Door Tablet interface to accommodate remote participants.
• Customisable displays: You can tailor the screens with your organisation's logos and business rules so the technology visually matches your office environment.
• Wayfinding Integration: Your teams can view live room availability and bookings, directly through the wayfinding system, which pulls data directly from Microsoft 365 in real time, making it easy to find and navigate to available spaces.

Why do organisations choose Door Tablet for Microsoft 365?

Organisations choose Door Tablet because it removes the daily issues of finding a place to collaborate, drastically improving office efficiency.

It supports hybrid work by empowering employees to book spaces seamlessly. While meeting rooms are accessed directly via Microsoft 365, desk bookings are managed through our BOOKER system utilizing Microsoft 365 SSO to keep the user experience entirely seamless.

Workplace experience managers benefit from seeing exactly how their space is being used. Door Tablet provides actionable insights into room usage and no-shows, helping you optimise your floor plan based on real data. The displays are also customisable. You can tailor the screens with your organisation’s logos and brand colours so the technology visually matches your office environment.

What are the best tablets compatible with the Microsoft 365 booking system?

The best tablets compatible with the Microsoft 365 booking system are purpose-built hardware displays that connect directly to your digital calendar. In essence, any tablet from the Door Tablet ecosystem works natively with Microsoft 365 to manage your workspace.

Depending on your specific office setup, you can choose from dedicated meeting space devices like:

• Door Tablet NXT
• Door Tablet SL
• Door Tablet EPS

Check our hardware ecosystem.

How do you get started with Door Tablet and Microsoft 365?

Getting started with Door Tablet and Microsoft 365 is as simple as authorising the secure connection to your tenant and assigning your room calendars. You can go from installing the hardware to a fully operational room booking system with direct calendar access by following a few simple configuration steps.
You do not need a large deployment team to complete the setup. By following our clear step-by-step guides and videos, your IT team can configure calendars and authorise permissions easily.

It is a practical way to quickly improve your workplace experience.

See more details about the integration between Door Tablet and Microsoft 365.

Create an account to watch how to set up the integration between Door Tablet and  Microsoft 365.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Door Tablet and M365

1. Do I need special IT skills to connect Door Tablet to M365?
No. If you are familiar with your Microsoft 365 admin centre, you can set this up. The process involves standard authorisation steps that only take a few minutes.
Is the M365 integration secure? Yes. Door Tablet provides security and privacy at all levels and runs on the cloud or on-prem. The product is trusted by defence companies, law firms, and financial institutions to ensure data remains protected.

2. Will this work with our existing M365 room resources?
Yes. Door Tablet maps directly to the room calendars you have already built in Microsoft 365. You do not need to recreate your office directory because the system reads your existing data and displays it on the screens outside your rooms.

3. Can you book a room directly from a tablet using Office 365?
Yes. You can book a room directly from a tablet using Office 365. The hardware provides clear room status and allows for booking with rich automation and control right at the meeting space.

4. Does Door Tablet integrate with Microsoft 365 GCC High?
Yes. Door Tablet integrates natively with Microsoft 365 GCC High. Door Tablet enables secure, compliant room booking tailored for Microsoft 365 GCC High environments. More details here.

Blog > May 2026 >

Door Tablet Integration with Building Engines Prism Open

May 20, 2026 3 min read

Connecting Door Tablet to Prism turns your building management system into a tool that your tenants can actually see and use every day. Linking this platform with Door Tablet’s screens allows everyone to see the real-time status of every room in the building at a single glance.

We will cover how Building Engines Prism integrates with Door Tablet’s room booking tablets and how their features and benefits help property managers and tenants stay organised.

What is Prism by Building Engines?

Prism by Building Engines is a powerful platform used by property managers to run commercial buildings. It handles everything from maintenance work orders to tenant communication in one place.

One of its most useful software tools within the larger platform is resource reservation. This allows people in the building to reserve shared spaces like conference rooms or meeting rooms using their phones or computers. For building managers, these shared spaces are vital amenities used to attract tenants and increase the occupancy, and therefore the rental income, of the building.

How Door Tablet Connects with Prism

Door Tablet acts as the physical screen outside your rooms that shows what is happening inside Prism. We connect directly to the Prism booking system so that the information stays the same in both places.

Door Tablet is designed specifically for the multi-tenant environment. It liberates building staff from manually managing meeting centers by allowing tenants to self-serve. When a user walks up to the screen, they can book a room for “now” or for the future, by simply entering their email and a unique Employee ID. This ensures the reservation is linked to a specific tenant account rather than a system admin, providing a full audit trail for billing and usage reports.

The entire system is driven by a central server hosted on the cloud. While Door Tablet can work on-premise, for Prism users, the solution is typically offered as a shared, multi-tenant cloud platform, removing the need for building managers to handle complex IT infrastructure.

Features and Benefits

Connecting Door Tablet with Prism makes your office run better by putting digital schedules right where people need them. Here is how it helps:

• Tenant Accountability & Revenue: Generate precise usage reports by company or individual. This allows managers to easily invoice tenants for room usage and boost building ROI.

• Enhanced Security: Mandatory Employee ID verification prevents "identity hijacking" at the display. If a user forgets their ID, they can trigger a self-service recovery email directly from the tablet.

• Higher Utilization: Shared amenities are only valuable if they are used. Door Tablet increases visibility for every resource in your building, from large executive boardrooms down to single huddle spaces and shared desks.

• Total Building Visibility: Beyond individual doors, our wayfinders allow tenants to see the status of multiple rooms at once on large screens. These can be seamlessly combined with digital signage to create a helpful atmosphere in your lobby or elevator banks.

• Staff Liberation: By allowing tenants to book rooms securely on their own, your building management team is freed up to focus on higher-value hospitality tasks.

• Match Your Brand: To maintain a professional building identity, you can customize the interface with your organization’s logo and typography, ensuring the hardware feels like a native part of the building. See how you can make Door Tablet yours here.

• Versatile Hardware Options: We offer a wide range of hardware to fit any building requirement. The system works seamlessly across multiple platforms, including Door Tablet ePaper displays (EPS), Android, and Tizen devices. Explore Door Tablet’s hardware options here.

Door Tablet integrates with Prism to make resource reservation easier for everyone in your building. This partnership empowers tenants to self-service key amenities, such as meeting rooms and shared workspaces.

Find out more details about the integration between Door Tablet and Prism.

Create an account to watch how to set up the integration between  Door Tablet and  Prism. 

Blog > April 2026 >

Workspace Management Solutions for Co-Working Spaces Open

April 15, 2026 5 min read

Premium coworking success requires an integrated tech stack that removes friction for corporate members and automates manual admin, allowing managers to focus on community rather than paperwork.

If you're managing a coworking space targeting corporate teams and professionals who pay premium rates, outdated technology is costing you deals. The spaces winning these clients are offering better systems.

In this article, we will cover what you need to have in your workspace management stack to compete on the market and to delight your corporate customers.

Key Takeaways

• Integrated Tech is the Standard: Clients now demand more than just a desk; they want a unified stack where room booking, hot desking, and wayfinding sync perfectly with their own corporate calendars to eliminate scheduling friction.
• Security for Enterprise Clients: Large corporate teams (like those in finance and AI) require professional-grade security. Moving from physical keys to mobile access and digital visitor logs is essential to win and keep these high-paying contracts.
• Automation Reclaims Your Time: Coworking managers spend over half their day on manual tasks. A central management system that automates billing and member access turns tech from an expensive "cost centre" into a "revenue driver.

Understanding Your Members

To design a workplace management tech stack that satisfies clients, you must first understand the demographic shifts and psychological drivers of the 2025 member. The average member is 36 years old, with Millennials (61%) and a rapidly growing Gen Z cohort dominating the user base. This is a "tech-forward" audience that views digital fluency as a core brand promise of their workspace.

Approximately 55% of global corporations now utilise flexible office solutions. Large enterprises, particularly in the Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI) sector, account for the highest occupancy rates at 32.4%, followed closely by professional services and the rapidly expanding IT/AI sector.  

Corporations need "enclosed offices" that provide the same privacy, security, and branding opportunities as a traditional headquarters, but with the flexibility of a coworking contract. This shift has profound implications for the tech stack, as enterprise clients bring with them rigorous requirements for cybersecurity and data isolation.

What Drives Members Away

Noise and distractions remain the number one complaint in shared environments. Research confirms that workers can take up to 23 minutes to fully refocus after a single distraction.

Inconsistent service, outdated equipment, and security vulnerabilities are primary drivers of professional client churn. Implementing the right tech stack directly addresses these frustrations by providing robust systems, secure access protocols, and a seamless workspace experience.

Meeting Room Displays

Room booking systems manage meeting room reservations, prevent double bookings, and maximise space utilisation across your coworking space.

Door Tablet provides touch screen displays outside each meeting room detailing current and future meetings and allowing bookings at the door. Your members glance at the screen and immediately know if they can grab the space or need to keep walking.

The system seamlessly connects with Microsoft 365, Microsoft Exchange, Google Workspace, HCL Domino, and more. When someone books a meeting through their corporate calendar, it instantly appears on the tablet display.

Check out our meeting room tablets.  

Hot Desking

Hot desking systems track desk availability in real-time, manage flexible seating assignments, and eliminate conflicts over workspace.

Hot desking is wonderful in theory and absolute chaos in practice. You've got freelancers who show up at 7 AM expecting their favourite spot, remote workers from corporate accounts who bought day passes, and regular members who just want consistency.

Door Tablet BOOKER is a web-based platform that allows desks to be booked using intuitive interfaces.

Door Tablet BOOKER can display the details of every desk booking on desk devices, or work as a software only solution. Members can see a map of available desks before they even walk in via the web platform.

Door Tablet BOOKER integrates with the same calendar systems as the room booking system, and can use single sign-on for ease of access..

“Tech is often the third most expensive thing in the coworking business: the first being real estate, the second being people. What many are realizing is that if you spend correctly on tech, you can get better returns on real estate and have happier people. Deployed correctly, tech goes from an expensive cost-centre to a streamlined revenue-driver.”  

- Hector Kolonas, co-founder of Synacroo and author of This Week in Coworking

Wayfinding Displays

Wayfinding systems help members and visitors navigate your space, locate booked rooms or desks, and find amenities without getting lost.

When someone books Conference Room 3C for the first time, they have no idea where that is. When a corporate team arrives for their weekly standup, half of them end up on the wrong floor. "I couldn't find the room I booked" is not the experience you want people to associate with your space.

Door Tablet's wayfinding displays provide an overview and clarity through interactive floor plan displays. These typically sit in common areas like lobbies, elevator banks, or the entrance to each floor.

Members search for a specific room or desk, see exactly where it is on the floor plan, and see the route for how to navigate there. The floor plan shows real-time availability status.



The wayfinding system integrates directly with your booking platform. When someone reserves a meeting room through their calendar, it's already marked on the wayfinding display.

Access Control Systems

You need to know who's in your building at all times. You need to grant different levels of access based on membership tiers, with some people getting 24/7 entry and others only during business hours. And you need to do all of this without making people fumble with physical keys or wait at reception every time they walk through the door.

Mobile credentials or RFID systems manage building and room access through your membership database. These systems control who enters which areas, enforce membership tier permissions, and maintain security logs for compliance.

Members enter without fumbling for keys, get automatic access to booked rooms during reservations, and experience seamless permission changes when memberships update. Granular controls let you set which doors, which days, and which hours, all from one dashboard with real-time activity tracking.

Visitor Management System

Corporate clients need to feel confident bringing their teams and clients to your space. That means professional check-in experiences, not someone hunting for a pen to sign a paper logbook.

Digital check-in systems register guests, print badges, notify hosts, and track building occupancy for safety compliance. These systems manage guest arrivals professionally while maintaining security records and meeting building safety regulations.

Visitors check in without waiting at reception, hosts receive instant arrival notifications, and you maintain complete records for emergencies. Modern systems eliminate paper logbooks as guests pre-register, check in at kiosks, and receive badges automatically while the system grants temporary building access.
Member Engagement Platform

Here's the thing about coworking. People aren't just renting a desk. According to surveys from multiple industry sources, the top reasons people join coworking spaces are community, networking, and schedule flexibility, with 80% of members saying they are happy to have someone to interact with. If you're not facilitating those connections, you're just renting desks.

“There is still a need for human connection [...] You’re going to lose it if you don’t remember it’s what makes your space thrive.”

- Jaime Munoz

A branded mobile app serves as the central hub for bookings, community features, events, member directories, and exclusive perks. These platforms facilitate member connections and direct communication, creating the community experience that differentiates coworking from traditional office rentals.

Members manage all bookings from one app, discover and connect with others in their industry, RSVP to events, and receive push notifications that actually get read. The platform integrates with your booking system, access control, and CMS for a unified experience where everything works from one interface.

Coworking Management Software

This is the system that connects everything else. Your CMS manages memberships, processes payments, generates invoices, tracks occupancy across all your desks and offices, and produces financial reports.

Coworking space owners and operators spend 53% of their time performing manual tasks in technology tools each day. That's more than half your working hours on administrative busywork instead of growing your business or supporting your community.

The central operating system manages memberships, billing, payments, occupancy tracking, and financial reporting while integrating with all your other tools. It connects everything else, automates administrative tasks, and provides real-time data on your entire operation from one dashboard.

When someone signs up online, the right CMS automatically creates their profile, processes payment, sends welcome emails, assigns access permissions, and adds them to your member app. When invoices are due, reminders go out automatically. When you need occupancy rates across all locations, you pull them up instantly.

The Bottom Line

These corporate clients have high expectations. They're used to seamless digital experiences in every other part of their lives, and they expect the same in their workspace.

Your workspace tech stack, with Door Tablet handling room booking, hot desking, and wayfinding as a unified solution, complemented by access control for security, visitor management for professionalism, member engagement for community, and a comprehensive CMS tying it all together, has become the foundation that lets you scale without drowning in manual work.

The best coworking spaces win by making everything just work, so you can focus on what actually matters. The people walking through your door.

Blog > March 2026 >

5 Security Questions to Ask Before You Buy Workplace Management Tech Open

March 18, 2026 4 min read

Workplace leaders are investing heavily in new tools to make office work attractive to their teams, like desk booking, wayfinding, room booking displays, and sensors. But while everyone else is focused on “experience,” IT is focused on something far more urgent: security.

Because at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how sleek a workplace device looks if it quietly increases your attack surface.

Before signing a contract for any workplace management solution, consider five key security questions that should guide the conversation. They’re the kinds of questions that help IT protect employees, protect data, and protect the organisation’s network long after launch day.

We’ve broken them down for you so you can walk into your next demo call prepared.

1. How is user and device authentication handled, and what prevents unauthorised access?

Any device you place in your office, especially one mounted publicly, like a room-booking display or a hot-desk kiosk, is an entry point.
Your leadership team doesn’t need a full technical breakdown, but they do need to understand how the solution enforces trust at the front door.

Ask:

• Does it support badges, SSO, MFA, or role-based access?
• Does the device itself require a secure login, or is it open once powered on?
• Can it be quarantined when first added to the network?

Weak authentication can allow someone to reserve rooms they shouldn’t, access internal systems, or use the device as a stepping stone into your network.

2. What data is collected, how is it stored and transmitted, and how is it protected?

Workplace management tech collects personal activity data: bookings, check-ins, usage patterns, and occupancy trends.

This is where you need clarity for yourself and something concrete to present to leadership.

Ask:

• Is data encrypted in transit (TLS/VPN) and at rest?
• Where is data stored (cloud region, on-prem, third-party)?
• Who has access to the database?
• How are permissions managed?

Employee location and time-based data are sensitive under GDPR and internal privacy policies.

3. How does the system integrate with your existing networks and IoT devices, and what risks come with that?

The workplace management tools connect to sensors, calendars, mobile apps, visitor systems, analytics platforms, and more. This is the perk of every workplace management tool: they integrate with your day-to-day apps.

Ask:

• Will devices sit on your main corporate network or a segmented VLAN?
• How are displays, sensors, and mobile apps authenticated?
• Are API connections encrypted and access-controlled?
• Are IoT components updated and monitored?

A single poorly secured IoT device can expose your entire network. Integration should enhance the workplace and not expand your attack surface.

4. What physical-security features are built into the hardware (for instance, tamper-resistant casing, secure boot, a hardware root of trust)?

A room display mounted in a hallway or a hot-desk kiosk on an open floor isn’t sitting safely behind a desk; it's exposed. That means the hardware itself needs to defend against tampering, unauthorised access, and manipulation.

Ask:

• Is the casing tamper-resistant or easy to open?
• Does the device use secure boot to prevent unauthorised firmware?
• Is there a hardware root of trust to validate system integrity?
• What happens if someone attempts to force access, reboot, or remove the device?
• Can IT be alerted if a unit is disconnected or physically disturbed?

Door Tablet offers a purpose-built hardware line which includes security-hardened hardware. Our SL Cyber edition disables WiFi and Bluetooth at the board level, locks down USB ports, developer options, camera/mic access, and limits installations to certified versions only.

5. What is the vendor’s plan for updates, incident response, and long-term maintenance?

The vendor needs to treat patching and monitoring as critical, ongoing responsibilities.

Ask:

• How often are firmware or software updates released?
• Are patches automatic or manual?
• Is there logging for device health, anomalies, or attempted breaches?
• What is the incident-response plan if something goes wrong?

Unpatched devices become liabilities. One outdated display can disrupt operations or expose sensitive data.

You are ready!

These five questions give you a clear, practical way to evaluate any workplace-management platform and ensure the tech you choose strengthens your organisation rather than weakening it. Use these questions next time you are looking for workplace management tech, and while you are at it, check Door Tablet’s secured workspace management ecosystem.

Blog > March 2026 >

How to Make Sure Your Teams Will Adopt New Technology in the Workplace Open

March 11, 2026 4 min read

You’ve chosen your new workplace solution, maybe smart meeting-room displays, a wayfinding system, or a hot-desking tool. The hardware is sleek, the interface intuitive, and the features tick all the boxes.

How are you going to make sure people will actually use it?

Without a solid rollout plan, even the best system can collect digital dust. According to McKinsey, around 70% of large-scale tech initiatives fail to reach full adoption, not because the technology doesn’t work, but because people don’t use it.

So how do you make sure your investment sticks?

1. Set the Stage: Communication, Vision & Champions

Treat the roll-out like a marketing campaign for a product. You don’t show the product to your audience, and you wait for them to buy it. No, there is some preparation to ensure that once you show the product, people will want to buy it.

Start with the story, not the software.

Before installation, explain why the new technology matters. A short pre-launch email from leadership works wonders:

                    “We know finding a free room can be frustrating. Our new displays will help you locate and book meeting spaces instantly.”

Back it up with quick FAQs, posters in high-traffic zones (“Coming soon: smart room displays to make meetings simpler”). If your organisation has an intranet, pin a banner on the main page for everyone to see.

Bring people into the process early. Identify a few champion teams (think of Employer Branding or Learning and Development), respected colleagues or power users, to test the system before everyone else. Let them explore features like ad-hoc booking, releasing a room, or using the wayfinding map. Gather their feedback, refine your setup, and later share their success stories:

                    “L&D cut double-bookings by 30% in the pilot phase.”

Let your power teams do the talking. When people see their teammates using the new tech and actually liking it, they’re more likely to give it a try themselves, no persuasion needed from the leadership.

This is also the perfect time to get your IT support team up to speed, show them how the new tech works, how to troubleshoot common problems, and how to confidently answer user questions when they come up.

2. Roll It Out Right: Training, Pilots & Feedback

Don’t assume people will figure it out.

Even intuitive systems can confuse users if you don’t show them how it fits into their routine. Offer hands-on demos like 15-minute sessions, onsite or virtual,  where people can try booking a desk, checking occupancy, or scanning a QR code. Record a short video tutorial and share it on your intranet or your e-learning platform.

Then start small. A pilot rollout in high-traffic areas gives you the data and confidence to scale up. Run the pilot for a couple of weeks. It gives you time to collect useful data, iron out any small issues, and, more importantly, lets people notice the new tech, talk about it, and start experimenting with it on their own. That’s when curiosity starts turning into early adopters.

Follow the pilot with a feedback loop. Create a short survey or attach a QR code to displays so users can rate their experience. Use feedback to improve the interface or training content before expanding it building-wide.

3. Support, Reinforcement & Habit-Building

Adoption isn’t a one-off event; You probably remember that we compared this roll-out with a marketing campaign. We are at the point where we actually show the product, and your teams are warmed up; they are ready!

You would think that your job is done now, the new technology is out, people use it, case closed!

The first few weeks after rollout determine whether your tech becomes a habit or fades into the background.

For the first few weeks, share quick tips on the intranet:

                    “Did you know you can release a room early from the display?”

Monitor metrics such as bookings per day, no-shows, or the most common helpdesk queries. Two weeks post-launch, send a short survey:

                    “How are you finding the new displays? What’s working well? What’s not?”

Then share monthly updates showing progress:

                    “Since launch, meeting conflicts have dropped by 35% and teams find rooms twice as fast.”

Keep things going over the first few months while people are still excited about the new system. This is when that early enthusiasm can really take root, shaping routines and helping the technology become a natural part of how everyone works.

Final Thoughts

Technology alone doesn’t drive adoption, and neither can a single team. Change only sticks when it feels exciting and genuinely better. It’s easy to underestimate how attached people are to their current workflows and tools; sometimes because they work well enough, and sometimes simply because they’re familiar, even if they’re slow or unreliable. You’ll almost always have a few people who resist anything that disrupts their “normal.”

If there’s one takeaway from this article, it’s that adoption works best when multiple teams are involved. People are far more open to change when they see their peers talking about it and getting on board. Build in the open, let everyone see and test the new technology early, gather their feedback, and make them feel part of the process before the full rollout.

Ultimately, no rollout strategy can succeed with weak technology. Adoption works and lasts when the tools themselves are reliable, intuitive, and have a minimal learning curve. 

If you’re looking for workplace management solutions, take a look at Door Tablet for clear meeting room displays, smooth hot-desking, and effortless wayfinding that make everyday use feel natural.

Blog > March 2026 >

New Integration: Door Tablet and MDaemon Open

March 4, 2026 3 min read

We are pleased to announce that Door Tablet now integrates directly with MDaemon.

This integration bridges the gap between your digital MDaemon calendars and your physical office space. You can display real-time meeting information on Door Tablet meeting room panels outside your rooms and manage bookings more efficiently across your organisation.

Here is what this integration means for your workplace and how it functions.

What is MDaemon?

MDaemon is a widely used messaging and collaboration server that provides secure email, calendar, and contact management for businesses. It is designed as a reliable alternative to complex mail servers, offering organisations flexible control over their communications infrastructure, whether hosted in the cloud or managed on-premise. For many companies, MDaemon serves as the central hub for all daily scheduling and correspondence.

How the Integration Works

The connection between Door Tablet and MDaemon is designed to be seamless and bi-directional.

• Real-Time Synchronization: The system reads your MDaemon calendars to display availability on the panels outside your meeting rooms. If you book a room via your desktop email client, the display outside that room updates instantly to show it is busy.
• Two-Way Communication: Interaction is not limited to the desktop. If a user books a room directly from the Door Tablet touchscreen, that booking is immediately written back to the MDaemon calendar, ensuring no one else can book that slot remotely.
• Room Filtering: You can configure the system to recognise specific keywords in your calendar folders (such as “Meeting Room” or “Huddle”). This makes it easy to filter and display availability for the correct spaces without cluttering the system with irrelevant data.

“This integration is designed to be secure, efficient, and easy to manage—whether you're running a small office or a large enterprise.”
- Brad Wyro, MDaemon

Deployment That Fits Your Infrastructure

We understand that MDaemon users value control over their environment. We have ensured this integration works regardless of how you host your server.

• Cloud-Based: If your MDaemon server is in the cloud, you can use Door Tablet CONNECT. This creates a secure bridge to your calendars without requiring complex local installation.
• On-Premise: For organisations that keep their data in-house, you can install the Door Tablet server on local hardware. This allows it to connect directly to your on-premise MDaemon server, maintaining your preferred security protocols.

Practical Benefits for the Office

Beyond the technical synchronisation, this integration provides specific tools to solve common meeting room coordination problems.

• Eliminate Double Bookings: Since the sync occurs in real-time, there is no lag between a booking being made and the room status updating. This prevents two people from booking the same space at the same time.
• Ad-Hoc Booking: Staff can walk up to an available room and book it instantly from the touch panel.
• Better Utilisation: You can enable features like "Check-in" or "Release," where a room is automatically freed up if the meeting host does not arrive within a set time. This ensures spaces aren't wasted by abandoned meetings.

Getting Started

This integration is available now and is designed to be straightforward to set up.

Contact us to discuss how to enable the MDaemon integration for your office.

Blog > February 2026 >

What Today’s Office Gets Wrong About Technology Open

February 25, 2026 3 min read

Many companies have spent the last few years sprucing up their offices with polished concrete floors, open lounge areas and hot desks. Yet too often, the foundational technology that makes modern work possible is an afterthought. In this article, we will discuss the costs of office spaces that aren’t built for current and future tech needs.

Downtime doesn’t just affect servers

Organisations today depend on digital tools for virtually every task. A study by Oxford Economics estimated that downtime costs Global 2000 enterprises $400 billion annually, averaging $200 million per company. While that figure covers outages of all kinds, it underscores how heavily business performance relies on uninterrupted technology. Meeting rooms with unstable networks or outdated displays may not grab headlines like a data centre outage, but they chip away at productivity just the same. Every time a video call is abandoned due to a poor connection or a team has to move rooms because there’s nowhere to plug in, momentum is lost, and those minutes add up.

Another risk of ignoring the IT foundation surfaces around connectivity. WiredScore’s 2025 “Building for People” report shows that while office buildings now achieve roughly 90% of the possible credits for internet service provision, mobile performance lags badly. In North America, offices score only around 28% for mobile connectivity, whereas homes reach about 69%. That gap is striking for environments that claim to be tech‑ready. The report’s CEO notes that mobile connectivity is falling short and landlords must address this if offices are to win back workers.

Half of tech companies aren’t ready for new ways of working

In the race to develop artificial intelligence and other innovations, many technology firms are rethinking their real estate. However, only about half of all technology companies have optimised their corporate real estate portfolios for new ways of working. That means a significant share is still configuring spaces around old assumptions, individual desks and fixed conference rooms, while hybrid work, mobile devices and digital collaboration demand more flexibility.

The mismatch affects people as much as systems. According to HP’s 2024 Work Relationship Index, 87% of employees would trade a portion of their salary for a more tailored, engaging workplace experience. Employees want spaces that support both focused work and collaboration, with technology that “just works.” (Read our article about how lagging tech actually keeps your employees working from home instead of coming into the office).

The dangers of piecemeal technology

A building not designed for future tech often ends up with redundant or incompatible systems. The International Facility Management Association’s whitepaper on optimising the workplace through technology advises companies to conduct thorough needs assessments and prioritise interoperability before adopting new solutions. It notes that selecting technologies that communicate with one another reduces redundancy and creates a more cohesive workplace experience.

This will help organisations with future upgrades and scale-ups.

How to build for the unknown

The good news is that creating a future-ready office doesn’t require predicting the next killer app; it requires flexibility. JLL’s guide to designing “magnetic workplaces” recommends modular spaces with movable walls, reconfigurable furniture and ample power outlets and robust Wi-Fi. The idea is to leave space for new devices that can be added without tearing down walls.

Don’t leave tech until last

Treating technology as an add-on may save money in the short term, but the long-term costs can be staggering. The $400 billion in downtime losses, the millions wasted on redundant systems and the talent lost to uninspiring work environments all point to the same conclusion: designing offices without considering future technology is a strategic mistake. Always invest in flexible infrastructure and prioritise interoperability because this is how you future-proof your office and protect your bottom line.

Blog > February 2026 >

How to implement Room Booking Displays in your Office for IT teams Open

February 11, 2026 5 min read

At a Glance
IT teams want meeting room displays that are easy for employees to use, but dependable and secure under the hood. This guide breaks down how to choose flexible hardware, pick the right deployment model (cloud or on-prem), and roll out displays in a way that actually gets used. With Door Tablet, you can run the software on any tablet, tailor the setup to your environment, and ensure adoption by putting a real champion in charge. Because the tech alone won’t change behaviour, you need a plan for rollout, support, and follow-through.


When IT teams start looking at meeting‑room booking solutions, they usually want something simple: a visual interface that lets people see which rooms are free and book them on the spot as they walk past. At the same time, they care deeply about how the system works behind the scenes because they’re the ones who will configure it, integrate it with calendars and networks, and keep it running smoothly.

This article walks through what to consider when choosing and implementing meeting‑room displays, using Door Tablet as the primary example. We’ll cover the hardware features that make the devices reliable and easy to use, discuss deployment choices (cloud or on‑premises), and outline a step‑by‑step implementation process. If you’re comparing multiple solutions, this guide will help you understand why Door Tablet’s approach to hardware, software and support is well-suited to delivering an intuitive experience for end users while meeting IT’s reliability and security requirements.

Choosing and Deploying the Right Hardware

The hardware determines the reliability and user experience of your room displays. Look for devices that can handle round‑the‑clock use with durable screens and robust enclosures. Tempered glass or similarly tough materials ensure the display won’t shatter or deteriorate with heavy use.

A bright, high‑resolution screen with wide viewing angles makes it easy to read schedules from different distances and positions. Support for Power‑over‑Ethernet (PoE) allows a single cable to deliver both power and network connectivity, simplifying installation and enabling remote power management. Optional features such as NFC or RFID readers for user identification and LED lights on the front or sides that show room status can further enhance usability and security.

The advantage of Door Tablet’s software is that it can run on many different tablets and it won’t lock you into one. Our tablets come in many shapes and sizes. Check them out here.

Door Tablet provides separate installers for Android and Windows devices, and tablet apps are available from Apple, Google and Microsoft stores. This flexibility means you can pair the software with consumer tablets or professional panels as needed.

Software Setup: Cloud vs. On‑Premise

Next, decide on the room booking software that will run on these displays and how it will be hosted. Broadly, you have three options with Door Tablet (on-prem, on your cloud, public cloud).

Many vendors offer cloud-hosted room scheduling platforms. In this case, the tablets simply connect to the vendor’s cloud service over the internet. Cloud setups are easier to start with; you sign up for an online dashboard, configure your rooms and calendar integration, and deploy the app to the tablets. The vendor handles server maintenance and updates. This is great if you want quick deployment and minimal infrastructure on your end.

Ensure the cloud service supports your requirements for security and data residency. For example, Door Tablet offers a multi-tenant cloud called “Door Tablet CONNECT” for its room displays, and other vendors have similar SaaS environments.

If your organisation has strict security policies or limited internet connectivity, an on-premise solution might be preferable. This means running the room booking server software on your internal network (or a private cloud like an Azure/AWS instance under your control). On-premise gives you full control of data and usually allows more customisation (e.g. custom integrations with internal systems). For instance, Door Tablet can be deployed on-premises or in a private cloud, in addition to its SaaS offering. When evaluating software, check if the vendor provides both cloud and self-hosted options, and whether switching from one to the other is possible (some start in the cloud and later migrate on-site).

Process for a Successful Rollout

We believe that there are 2 parts of any successful meeting room panel rollout. The first part is choosing a solution, and the second part is the adoption. You can choose a good solution, but if your teams don’t know you are intending to bring this solution into their daily routine and they don’t get training, they will ignore it.

You need at least a champion to be the frontrunner and preacher for this project. Someone needs to follow up with users and their bookings, and be very customer service-oriented in dealing with the users of the system. It can be the L&D department or the IT support, it depends on the size of your company.

Start with a pilot. Identify which rooms need displays and validate cabling and network capacity. Acquire a few test devices and connect them to a demo or trial server. Mount them temporarily and verify that bookings sync correctly and that PoE delivers stable power. Use the trial period to evaluate hardware (screen quality, LED visibility, NFC reader) and test the software with your calendar.

Once the pilot is satisfactory, install the production server (cloud or local) and register all meeting rooms as resources. Connect each tablet to the server using the server URL and any required keys. Configure booking rules (e.g., maximum booking length, check‑in requirements) and customise the interface to match your company’s brand. Test important features such as RFID/NFC check‑in and ghost‑meeting cancellation. You can start from now, sharing via email about the meeting room displays and how they will influence the booking workflow. Try to make your teams excited about this.

Start with the rooms people already fight over, like executive suites, boardrooms, and all-hands spaces. These are high-visibility areas where successful adoption builds momentum. Make sure everything is fully functional before go-live: the panels sync properly, check-in works, calendar data is accurate, and the interface is customised with your branding.

From there, expand floor by floor or team by team. Treat each wave like a product launch. Announce what’s changing, explain the benefits, and include a short “how to use this panel” guide. The champion should shadow early adopters, collect feedback, and adjust settings as needed. If users ignore the check-in, make the prompt clearer. If they’re confused by booking logic, simplify it.

The displays won’t do the work alone. But with a thoughtful rollout and enough hands-on support, they can quickly become one of the most visible wins in your office tech stack.

The Bottom Line: Are Room Booking Displays Hard to Implement for IT Teams?

It should not be, it should not be hard to maintain either. As an IT professional, you need to see firsthand how a solution integrates, how it's managed, and how it performs within your infrastructure.

See how you can provide instant clarity on room availability while maintaining full control over data and deployment.

1. Book a Demo: Get a 1-on-1 walkthrough of the user-facing displays and the powerful admin controls.
2. Test It On Your Server: Get our free on-premise trial installer and validate the platform's performance within your own network.

Blog > November 2025 >

On-Prem vs. Cloud-Based: Choosing the Best Deployment Model for Workspace Systems Open

November 12, 2025 7 min read

If you're in IT and evaluating how to roll out meeting room tablets across your offices, one question should arise early: Where will this system reside?

Not physically, the tablets are taken outside the rooms, clearly. But behind every display that shows meeting status, handles booking requests, and pulls data from your calendars, there’s a central hub doing the heavy lifting: the server.

And how you deploy that server, whether on your premises, in the cloud, or a hybrid setup, shapes how reliable, secure, and scalable your meeting room solution will be. This is where your  IT teams can make or break the deployment.

We will break down the most common server deployments (on-premise, cloud and hybrid) so that you can know what is the best solution for your environment

What Is an On-Premise Server Deployment?

On-premise deployment means your workspace software’s server is hosted locally under your control. In this model, the room booking or desk booking system’s backend is installed on servers that your organisation owns (or leases) and manages, often at your office or data centre. All the software, databases, and data reside on your company’s infrastructure. Typically, your IT team is responsible for setting up, updating, and maintaining these servers and keeping the system running smoothly. This gives you full control over the environment; you can configure hardware, security, and integrations to suit your needs.

However, it also means all upkeep falls on your team, from applying patches to handling any hardware issues or capacity upgrades. In practice, an on-prem deployment for a room or desk booking tool might involve installing the server software on a local Windows or Linux server (physical or virtual) within your network, connecting it to your internal calendar system (like an on-site Exchange server), and managing access for employees within your firewall.

What Is a Managed Cloud Server Deployment?

A cloud deployment means the workspace tool’s server runs on a provider’s cloud infrastructure rather than on hardware you manage. In this model, your room/desk booking system is delivered as a service by the vendor over the internet. The software and data are hosted off-site in the vendor’s cloud (for example, on AWS or Azure data centres) and accessed via web or app clients. You don’t need to set up a server yourself – the provider handles the heavy lifting of provisioning and maintaining the servers. Your organisation’s devices and browsers simply connect to the system through an internet connection. This makes deployment much quicker (often just signing up and configuring settings) compared to procuring and installing your own server hardware. It also means your IT team isn’t on the hook for things like server updates or backups – the cloud vendor manages those.

The trade-off is that you are relying on external infrastructure: your data is stored in a third-party data centre, and you access the tools over the internet instead of your local network. For example, a cloud-based desk booking system might be hosted on the vendor’s multi-tenant platform online. You’d simply log in through a web portal or app, and all your offices would use that centralised service without any local server installation.

Self-Managed Cloud Deployments

A self-managed cloud deployment offers a middle ground between full vendor-hosted cloud services and on-premise infrastructure. In this model, the server software is deployed in a cloud environment controlled by your organisation, such as your own AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud account. While the server is hosted in the cloud, your IT team retains control over its configuration, security, updates, and data. This setup provides flexibility in terms of where and how the system runs, while still offering the scalability and geographic reach of cloud hosting.

It is especially useful for organisations that already maintain a robust cloud environment and prefer to keep server management in-house without the physical hardware constraints of on-premise setups.

Comparing On-Premise, Multi-Tenant Cloud, and Self-Managed Cloud: Advantages & Disadvantages

Now that you have a better understanding of what on-prem and cloud deployment mean. Let’s go over  how on-premise and cloud deployments stack up in key areas important to IT teams, from maintenance to user experience:

1. Maintenance & IT Overhead

On-premise systems require in-house upkeep. Your team handles everything, like installing updates, applying security patches, monitoring performance, and fixing issues on the server. This can be labour-intensive and demands specific expertise (or dedicated staff) to manage the infrastructure.

In a multi-tenant cloud model, much of that headache is lifted. The vendor takes care of server maintenance and software updates centrally, so you always run the latest version without manual intervention. There’s no server hardware for you to patch or power,  freeing your IT staff to focus on other tasks.

With a self-managed cloud deployment, your IT team is still responsible for maintaining the server, but without the physical infrastructure. You control updates, backups, and availability using cloud tools and best practices.

The flip side of both cloud models is less direct control over infrastructure-level customisation compared to on-premise deployments.

2. Performance & Reliability

With on-premise deployments, your system is running on the local network, which can mean low latency and fast response times for on-site users. If your booking system needs to interact with other on-site services (like a local Exchange calendar or building access control), keeping it on-prem can minimise any network lag.

On-prem systems can also keep running even if your external internet connection goes down – employees on the local network might still be able to use the tool if it doesn’t rely on outside data.

Cloud systems, on the other hand, are engineered for high availability across regions. A good cloud provider will use scalable infrastructure and redundancies to ensure uptime and speed globally. Internet connectivity is the linchpin for cloud performance – a strong connection makes the experience seamless, but an outage can temporarily hinder access.

In terms of reliability, cloud providers often boast uptime SLAs (Uptime Service Level Agreement) and rapid failover capabilities that would be expensive to replicate on-prem. On-prem reliability rests on your redundancy planning; you might implement backup servers or failover clusters, which add complexity. In short, on-prem can offer speedy local access and offline capability, while cloud offers robustness and scale, but relies on that network link.

Self-managed cloud servers sit somewhere in between. You can select the geographic region, configure redundancy and backups, and scale performance settings as needed. This gives more flexibility and ownership than a multi-tenant cloud, but you are responsible for uptime.

3. Scalability & Growth

Cloud-based deployments make it easy to roll out your meeting room booking system, hot desking tools, or wayfinding screens as your offices grow. If you're expanding into a new floor or adding 100 desks across regional hubs, you don't need to rethink your infrastructure. Just configure the new devices, connect them to the cloud instance, and you're good to go. Cloud models scale on demand, so whether you're onboarding ten users or a thousand, the backend adjusts automatically. This flexibility is especially valuable for hybrid workplaces where occupancy changes week to week, or for companies piloting workspace tools before rolling them out more broadly. On-premise scaling is still possible. It just requires more internal effort. Adding more rooms or users could mean provisioning extra server capacity, increasing database throughput, or implementing failover clustering. These things aren’t insurmountable, but they take time, budget, and planning. For IT teams used to building out infrastructure in-house, that’s manageable.

For those looking to deploy quickly or scale dynamically across distributed locations, the cloud offers a clear advantage. Self-managed cloud also supports elastic scaling, but your team needs to plan, monitor, and manage provisioning across your cloud account. This makes it a good fit for organisations with in-house DevOps or IT capabilities who want more control without physical limitations.

4. Integration & Customisation

Workspace tools don’t live in a vacuum. They have to integrate with calendars, identity providers, sensor platforms, and sometimes legacy systems. If you're self-hosting the server, you're in control of the environment. That means you can build connections to your internal room booking policy engine, legacy HR system, or access control platform using custom scripts, direct database access, or internal-only APIs. In cloud deployments, integration depends on the APIs the vendor supports. For common platforms like Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, or Azure AD, most cloud systems have turnkey connectors. But if your estate includes bespoke or older systems, or if you want to enforce hyper-specific business logic in your room booking flow, on-prem is usually more adaptable. That’s not to say cloud can’t be extended; many vendors, Door Tablet included, provide API access and optional modules, but the sandbox is wider when the server is in your own hands.

Self-managed cloud gives you a hybrid level of flexibility. Since you control the hosting environment, you can implement more advanced integrations than with a multi-tenant cloud, while still enjoying the benefits of cloud scalability and remote access to all modules, but the sandbox is wider when the server is in your own hands.

5. Security Considerations

Data Residency & Compliance
Security is one of the biggest deciding factors in deployment strategy—especially when you're dealing with room booking data, employee check-ins, or guest access logs.

With on-premise deployments, you maintain full control over data location, encryption, and access. This is essential for organisations in highly regulated sectors (finance, healthcare, government) or those using platforms like Microsoft 365 GCC High, where data must remain within specific boundaries. You know exactly where your server is, how it communicates, and which logs are stored—and you can audit every part of it.

Self-managed cloud deployments provide more flexibility than vendor-hosted solutions while still offering strong control. You decide which region the server is hosted in (e.g., EU, UK, or US), manage your own security configurations, and can meet many regulatory standards by enforcing your own encryption and access protocols. However, your team is still responsible for maintaining compliance—unlike on-prem, you're also relying on a third-party cloud provider (e.g., AWS or Azure) for underlying infrastructure compliance.

Multi-tenant cloud deployments (like Door Tablet CONNECT) offer the least customisability but come with out-of-the-box security managed by the vendor. The provider takes care of hosting, updates, backups, and general infrastructure protection. This is ideal for organisations without complex compliance requirements, but it may not satisfy teams with strict data sovereignty rules or government-grade mandates that prohibit third-party managed environments.

Network Access & Exposure
On-prem servers live behind your own firewall, which limits internet exposure by default. If configured correctly, only internal users or those with VPN access can connect. This creates a closed, tightly controlled environment.

Self-managed cloud offers global accessibility with security depending on how well your team configures access protocols, such as firewalls, IP whitelisting, and user-level permissions. You can replicate on-prem-like controls, but it requires active management.

Multi-tenant cloud is accessible over the public internet by design. Vendors enforce strong encryption and offer compliance certifications, but the exposure surface is inherently broader, and organisations must be comfortable with handing over part of that responsibility.

Administrative Control & Responsibility
On-prem gives you full administrative access; you own the stack and manage everything from OS patches to user permissions. It’s ideal for organisations that want to tailor every aspect of their environment and aren’t afraid of that responsibility.

Self-managed cloud splits responsibility. You control the server software, security settings, and data handling, but your cloud provider (e.g., AWS) manages the physical infrastructure and uptime. This gives you significant control without needing a data centre.

Multi-tenant cloud offers the least administrative access, but that’s part of the appeal. The vendor manages the entire environment, ensuring updates, uptime, backups, and security patches are handled automatically. This significantly reduces internal IT workload and ensures best practices are followed consistently. While it limits low-level customisation, most organisations benefit from the streamlined setup, predictable performance, and quick deployment, especially when speed and simplicity are key.

Many cloud providers have robust security protocols and undergo independent audits, often achieving high compliance standards that individual companies would find costly to attain. Still, some organisations remain wary of trusting a third party with critical systems or data. Highly regulated sectors like government agencies or those with unique security needs might lean toward on-prem for the peace of mind of having the server under lock and key (both figuratively and literally).

Door Tablet: Flexibility with Cloud and On-Premise Options

When it comes to workspace management solutions, Door Tablet recognises that one size doesn’t fit all. IT teams have varying infrastructure preferences and requirements, so Door Tablet provides all three deployment models to suit modern IT environments: on-premise, self-managed cloud, and multi-tenant cloud.

If you prefer a cloud-hosted service, Door Tablet CONNECT is available as a secure, multi-tenant cloud solution running on AWS. With Door Tablet CONNECT, you don’t need to provision any servers yourself; our team hosts and manages everything, allowing you to get up and running in minutes once your instance is provisioned. This is ideal if you want to minimise maintenance and let the vendor handle updates and scaling.

On the other hand, Door Tablet also offers an on-premise server version for organisations that require everything to be on-site. In this model, you can run the Door Tablet server software on your own Windows PC or virtual machine in your data centre. This gives you full ownership of the system’s environment, which can be advantageous for high-security deployments or situations with limited internet connectivity.

Door Tablet’s on-prem solution isn’t limited to physical servers on your premises – you can also deploy it in your private cloud (for example, on a company-controlled AWS or Azure VM). This self-managed cloud option means you still own and control your server instance, but it’s hosted on the cloud infrastructure of your choosing. It combines the dedicated control of on-prem with the geographic flexibility and scalability of the cloud.

Door Tablet even makes it possible to migrate between server types if your needs change over time. For instance, an IT team might start with Door Tablet CONNECT for a quick pilot, then move to an in-house server later on, or vice versa. Few vendors support such seamless transitions – it’s a reflection of Door Tablet’s commitment to accommodating diverse IT strategies. Whether you want the simplicity of a cloud service, the control of an on-prem system, or a mix of both, Door Tablet’s architecture has you covered.

This flexibility means you won’t be locked into one deployment model; instead, you can align the system with your organisation’s evolving requirements.

Key Takeaways: Which One Should You Choose for Your Workspace Management System?

• On-premise servers are ideal for organisations with high security and compliance requirements, such as those using Microsoft 365 GCC High, who need full control over data flow, infrastructure, and hosting.
• Multi-tenant cloud (like Door Tablet CONNECT) is the fastest to deploy and requires the least internal maintenance, making it perfect for teams seeking a vendor-managed, low-touch solution.
• Self-managed cloud offers the flexibility of cloud infrastructure with the control of on-prem. Best suited for IT teams who want to manage their own environment but avoid physical server constraints.
• Hybrid and scalable: With the right platform, you can start in one mode and shift to another as your needs evolve, whether scaling across regions or increasing security requirements.
• Integration matters: On-premise gives maximum flexibility for integrating with legacy systems. Cloud (especially self-managed) supports modern APIs and rapid deployment across multiple locations.
• Security and control vary: All models can be secure. The difference lies in who manages the environment and how much responsibility your IT team is willing to take on.

Choosing What’s Best for Your Organisation

Ultimately, the decision between on-premise and cloud comes down to what fits your organisation’s needs and resources. Both models can successfully power modern room booking or desk booking systems; the key is to match the technology to your internal capabilities, compliance requirements, and plans.

The good news is that you don’t have to make this choice in the dark. It’s wise to evaluate both options in practice. Door Tablet allows you to do exactly that; you can spin up a live cloud demo or install a trial server on your network to compare the experiences side by side. Seeing the system in action will help determine which deployment model delivers the user experience and administrative comfort your IT team is looking for.

Friendly tip: Whichever route you lean toward, involve your stakeholders early; from security officers to end-users to gather input and address concerns. And don’t hesitate to take advantage of free trials or demos. With a hands-on trial, you’ll be well-equipped to choose the deployment strategy that makes your workplace run smoother and more securely.

Here’s to finding the perfect fit for your team’s workspace management needs!

Blog > May 2025 >

How to Correctly Invest in Workplace Management Solutions Open

May 29, 2025 3 min read

Key takeaways

• Align stakeholders before the demo. IT, HR, and Facilities must define success metrics—such as a 20% reduction in no-shows—and identify which team will own the resulting occupancy data before reviewing solutions.
• Assess the cultural readiness for change. Companies must evaluate employees’ needs to ensure the technology matches how the workforce currently operates.
• Define the specific employee problems first. Teams should rank their primary pain points, such as finding meeting rooms or managing hybrid seating, before attending product demos to avoid being distracted by non-essential features.

Employees notice the little things: finding a desk without circling the floor, locating a meeting room without asking reception, sensing that the air and lighting adjust to real use. Those moments add up to what people now call workplace experience. To deliver it, offices need a coordinated set of digital tools - a workspace-management stack - that quietly runs behind the scenes.

Independent research shows that more than 80% of large companies now integrate these tools through APIs or data platforms to create a single source of truth for space data..

When the stack is well-chosen, secure by design and delightful to use, employees spend less time hunting for rooms or desks and more time doing their best work. The article will explain the must-have layers of the stack, the questions every IT, Facilities, and HR team should ask before buying.

What are the essential components of a modern workplace management stack?

A workplace management stack is the collection of cloud and on-prem tools that handle bookings, visitor flows, space analytics, meeting services and communications.

When these pieces share data, the office feels effortless to navigate for employees and the teams who run it.

The Core Tools—In Practice and What to Look For

Modern employees expect the office to work like their favourite app - fast, intuitive, and secure - yet many still waste minutes every morning hunting for a free desk or a meeting room that isn’t double-booked. This gap between expectation and reality is driving a quiet revolution in workspace-management tools. So let’s see some workspace management tools that are a must-have in any workspace:

1. Room & Desk Booking

In practice:

Picture a 10-inch touch panel beside every meeting room: the bezel glows green or red, shows your brand colours, and pulls its schedule straight from Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace within seconds of a change. A hot-desking floor plan in the same system lets hybrid staff tap an open seat, see avatars of colleagues nearby, and book on the train before they arrive. If nobody checks into a reserved room, after a grace period, motion sensors automatically free the space so someone else can use it.

What to look for:

• Calendar & ID integration. Real-time sync with Microsoft 365/Exchange, Google Workspace, and SSO so nothing lives in a silo.
• Branding and accessibility. Ability to swap logos, colours, languages, and even lexicon without code; screens should support 15-plus languages and large-text options for inclusivity.
• Right-size hardware. Panels around 10 inches with PoE power (one cable, no batteries) and LED status strips that are visible down the corridor.
• Sensor-aware automation. Built-in or external sensors that confirm presence, auto-check in, and release no-shows.

2. Wayfinding

In practice:

Imagine arriving at a large corporate campus as a visitor or as an employee who only comes in twice a week – finding the right conference room or a colleague’s desk can be daunting without guidance. A good wayfinding system displays floor maps on any display in key spaces (lobby, elevators, etc.)

What to look for:

• Live data feed. Maps must pull real-time availability from the booking layer so green spaces are truly free.
• Editable, on-brand floor plans. Drag-and-drop tools to recolour icons, rename zones, and match corporate fonts without calling a developer.
• Scalable hardware. Runs on standard signage players or browsers, not proprietary boxes, so Facilities can repurpose existing screens.

3. Occupancy Sensors & Analytics

In practice:

Motion sensors under desks and in the ceiling register real use. Facilities managers can see the average utilisation of meeting rooms. They can convert underused boardrooms into more huddles and save on the floor rent. Globally, average office utilisation is still around 35%, down from 64% pre-pandemic, so data-driven changes matter.

What to look for:

• Anonymised data: Sensors count presence, not people’s identities, easing “Big Brother” fears.
• Clear dashboards: Metrics in plain language, like peak occupancy, average meeting size, with export options.

Internal Questions to Ask Before Going to Market

1. What employee problems are we solving first? Is the pain finding rooms, managing hybrid seating, or knowing which floors to heat? Rank them before demo day so features don’t distract from goals.
2. What experience do we want to create? A friction-free day means bookings under one minute, maps at every decision point, and zero surprises. Translate that into must-have checkpoints.
3. How much change can our culture absorb? If people still rely on paper signs, start with room panels and grow. If staff are mobile-first, prioritise an app.
4. Who will own the data? Decide early which team (IT, CRE, HR) keeps the dashboards, sets retention rules, and reports wins to leadership.
5. What does success look like in 12 months? Maybe it’s 20% fewer no-shows or 15% higher employee satisfaction scores.

These conversations align stakeholders and prevent shiny-object syndrome once you hit the marketplace.

Once you have decided to invest in workplace management solutions, companies will need to decide how these solutions will be implemented and adopted within the organisation. We covered how to ensure any solution is adopted by your teams. Read more here.

Conclusion: Designing an Unparalleled Employee Experience

Great offices feel almost magical: the desk you need is open, the room you booked is ready, and the building itself seems to understand when and how people use it. That magic is the result of a well-built workspace-management stack—tools chosen for clarity, trust, and day-to-day ease rather than pure specs.

When employees spend less time hunting for space and more time doing meaningful work, engagement rises and real-estate costs fall.

A workspace management solution like Door Tablet bundles every layer, room & desk booking, interactive wayfinding, motion-based auto-release, and utilisation analytics into one solution, making that seamless experience easier to deliver.

Book a demo with Door Tablet today.

Build the right stack, and the technology fades into the background while people and ideas move effortlessly to the foreground.

Blog > April 2025 >

Why Lagging Tech Is Emptying Your Office Open

April 8, 2025 4 min read

We know that 83% of employees report they are more productive working from home.

Read that again. The vast majority of your workforce has optimised their home setup, perfect Wi-Fi, dual monitors, and zero distractions to get more done in less time. When they choose to commute, they are looking for a workspace that doesn't slow them down and gives them something that they can’t get at home.

Yet, too often, they walk into the office and hit a wall of friction: confusing booking apps, unsynced calendars, and legacy communication platforms that lag.
The truth is, bad tech is no longer just an annoyance; it is a retention risk. Let’s unpack how outdated tools are hurting your employees' careers and their willing to come into the office.

Key Takeaways

• The Office is Losing on Productivity: With 83% of employees reporting they are more productive at home, high-friction office tech (like unsynced calendars and confusing apps) drives them away.
• Slow Tech Creates Security Risks: 89% of employees bypass company tools for personal devices to get work done faster, actively pushing sensitive data onto insecure channels.
• Glitches Limit Careers: 76% of staff believe poor tech reinforces inequality; lagging video and audio silence remote participants, preventing them from influencing decisions.
• Seamless Experience Boosts Satisfaction: Employees with seamless digital tools are 1.8x more likely to report high job satisfaction, proving that removing friction is more effective than mandates for office success.

Why Employees Still Aren’t Coming In

You can mandate office days, redesign the layout, and run all the engagement surveys in the world. But if the office experience is broken, especially the tech part, people will opt out. And they are.

According to a 2023 Gartner report, over 40% of hybrid workers cite poor in-office technology as a primary reason for avoiding their company’s physical workspace. McKinsey also found that employees in workplaces with seamless digital experiences are 1.8x more likely to report high job satisfaction.

So, where are the biggest friction points?

Tech Friction Points That Keep People Away

1. Desk booking systems that cause chaos

Imagine reserving a desk for Wednesday only to find someone else sitting there—or worse, the system crashed before you got in. Inconsistent or unreliable desk booking software breaks trust.

Real comment from an employee in a Leesman Index study:

“I’ve stopped booking desks because it’s always a gamble. I just stay home if I want to focus.”

2. Ghost Meetings & Unsync Calendars

We already spend enough time in meetings; we shouldn't have to fight to find them.

Yet, the "room hunt" is still a daily source of friction. We’ve all walked into a booked room only to find a colleague already set up because the calendar didn't sync—creating an awkward double-booking standoff.

According to CBRE, 63% of employees have been unable to find a room despite seeing multiple empty ones.

You see perfectly empty rooms, but the app says "Booked" because someone forgot to cancel or a recurring invite is hogging the slot. It creates false scarcity, forcing employees to wander the halls hunting for space that actually exists, but simply isn't showing up.

3. The Career Ceiling

76% of employees believe their company’s tech systems reinforce workplace inequalities.

For hybrid teams, technology is the meeting room. If the in-office video bar lags, the audio drops, or the brainstorming software is clunky, remote participants and in-office staff can't collaborate on equal footing.

Missing a crucial part of the conversation because of lagging video can be career-limiting. If you can't be heard clearly, you can't influence the decision.

4. Outdated Infrastructure & Shadow IT

Slow Wi-Fi, clunky logins, poor video conferencing setups, these all send the message: this isn’t a serious workspace. And that’s a deal-breaker when home setups are now better than ever.

Alarmingly, 89% of employees use personal devices or apps to get their work done because they’re more efficient than company-provided options.

Your employees don't stop working; they just find a faster way. They switch to personal phones, private Gmail accounts, and unapproved apps just to maintain their speed. By letting your infrastructure lag, you are actively pushing your data onto insecure personal devices.

So What Should Workplace Tech Do?

Here’s what today’s workforce expects from the tech that powers their in-office experience:

• Be seamless – One tap to book a desk or a meeting room. Real-time room availability. Auto-cancellation if no one shows up.

• Be reliable – No outages, syncing issues, or confusing user interfaces.

• Be insightful – Offer facilities teams real-time data on usage, trends, and comfort levels (think temperature, IAQ, occupancy).

• Be social – Help people coordinate days in, see who's around, and plan collaboration opportunities. Support team office days and make it easy to reserve spaces like meeting rooms and project areas.

• Be responsive – Update based on feedback, usage data, and workplace patterns.

And most importantly, tech should help, not hinder—the reason people came in.

Give your employees a reason to come into the office

No one wants to commute just to fight for a desk or troubleshoot a meeting room booking app. Employees will come, but only if the office helps them work better than they can at home.

Employees will come in, but only if the office allows them to work efficiently. The most effective workplace strategies rely on removing friction rather than enforcing policies.

Stop blaming employees for "not engaging" and fix the systems that are slowing them down. A functional office prioritises utility over headcount.

Because in the end, office presence success isn’t about compliance—it’s about delivering a better workplace experience, powered by tech that works.