Workplace software is usually chosen by facilities and approved by IT, and the approval is where it stalls. The questions are consistent across organisations, so you can front-run them. This pack is the list IT will work through, written so a facilities manager can take it to a vendor before the review rather than after it.
What is in the pack
1Identity and access
- Does it support single sign-on with your identity provider
- Does it support automated provisioning and deprovisioning of users
- How are admin roles separated from standard user roles
- What happens to a user account when someone leaves
2Data, hosting and residency
- Where is the data physically stored, and can you choose the region
- What personal data is collected, and can fields be turned off
- What are the retention controls, and are they configurable per record type
- How is data exported if you leave, and in what format
3Security posture
- Is there a recognised certification such as ISO 27001, and what is in scope
- How is data encrypted in transit and at rest
- What is the process and timeline for notifying you of an incident
- Is there a penetration testing programme, and will they share a summary
4Integration and operations
- How does it sync with Microsoft 365, Outlook, Teams or Google Calendar
- Does it need anything installed on the network or on devices
- What happens to bookings and sign-ins if the internet connection drops
- What is the support model, and what are the response times
5Questions to ask before you shortlist
- Ask for the answers in writing, not on a call
- Ask which answers apply to your plan, since some features are enterprise-only
- Ask what the vendor does not do, which is usually more informative
Frequently asked questions
What does IT check before approving workplace software?
Typically four areas: identity, meaning single sign-on and user provisioning; data, meaning what is collected, where it is stored and how long it is kept; security posture, meaning certifications, encryption and incident response; and integration, meaning how it connects to Microsoft 365 or Google and what it needs on the network.
Why does workplace software get stuck in IT review?
Usually because the questions arrive after selection rather than before. Facilities picks a tool on features, then IT asks about data residency or SSO and the answer is not available on the plan that was quoted. Asking for the answers in writing before shortlisting avoids most of it.
Does desk booking software need single sign-on?
It is not strictly required for the software to work, but most IT teams will insist on it for anything holding employee data, because it keeps account creation and removal tied to your existing identity system. Without it, leavers can retain access after they have been offboarded elsewhere.
What data residency questions should we ask?
Ask where the data is physically stored, whether you can choose the region, whether any sub-processors move it elsewhere, and what happens to backups. For organisations operating under UK, EU or Australian requirements, the location of backups is the detail most often missed.
Visitor management
The records in this pack, captured automatically
Everything above is easier to evidence when sign-in, induction and departure land in one system rather than a book at reception.
- Contractors signed in against their company, not just a name
- Inductions recorded against the version the person saw
- A live on-site list that works on a phone at the muster point
- Searchable records with a retention period you set
See visitor managementSee it working on your own sites
HybridHero runs desks, meeting rooms, visitors, contractors and parking on one platform, with 24/7 real human support.
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