Choosing desk sharing software: 12 criteria. Which ones should you check?

When choosing desk sharing software, twelve criteria usually count, from integration into Microsoft Teams and Outlook through Microsoft Entra ID, data protection and roles to rollout time, total cost and reliable usage data for space decisions. At first glance, offers from different providers look similar. The differences only show when you specifically check integration, data protection, rollout and the quality of the usage data.

Before you look at providers: clarify requirements

Before you arrange demos and request offers, you should clarify the following points internally.

• Define the goal: use office space efficiently, reduce complaints about lack of space, create transparency about actual utilisation for management and Real Estate.
• Describe the framework: how many locations and companies do you operate? Which office days are typical (for example Tuesday and Wednesday)? Which hybrid working model applies?
• Outline desk sharing rules: how many employees should share one desk (desk sharing ratio)? Which booking rules and which clean desk policy should apply? The software should later be able to reflect these rules.
• Name the resources: which resources should the software cover? Workstations and shared desks, meeting rooms, parking spaces and possibly services such as catering, cleaning or technical support.
• Put together the selection team: facility management, IT, data protection officers, the works council, HR and budget holders. Involving all parties early speeds up coordination.
• Technical environment: Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams and Outlook are the fixed environment. Synchronisation via Microsoft Entra ID should be considered from the start.

Excel lists or simple calendars provide a first overview. For scalable desk sharing in companies with several locations and companies, however, they quickly reach their limits: with booking rules, permissions, data protection and above all with reliable usage data for space decisions.

The 12 criteria at a glance

The following table summarises all twelve criteria with a specific question to check and a note on typical pitfalls. It works as a one page overview for management and procurement. The details on each criterion follow in the next section.

The criteria in detail

The following sections give you specific checkpoints for the selection meeting and the demo in your own Microsoft 365 tenant. For each criterion, you will learn why it is relevant for companies with 250 or more employees, which questions you should ask and how to recognise a viable solution.

1 Integration into Microsoft Teams and Outlook

Desk sharing software is only used consistently if workstations are booked where employees already work: in Microsoft Teams and Outlook. Native integration means that the booking is started directly from a Teams tab or the Outlook calendar, without switching browsers or logging in separately.

Ask in the meeting: does booking run as a Teams app or only as an embedded web portal? Can desk bookings be linked to Outlook appointments? Can employees see which colleagues are on site on a particular day?

Pure web portals or isolated solutions often require additional training and usually reduce acceptance, especially among employees who only book occasionally. Deep integration reduces clicks to a minimum and makes booking as natural as a calendar entry. Seamless integration into existing IT systems is decisive for user acceptance. Choosing the right desk sharing software directly influences whether teams adopt the solution or work around it.

2 Identity and user management via Microsoft Entra ID

For IT and information security, single sign-on via Microsoft Entra ID is usually a prerequisite. Automatic synchronisation of users, groups and locations ensures that new employees get access immediately and that leavers are deactivated automatically.

Questions to check: does the software use Microsoft Entra ID for authentication? Are groups and permissions synchronised automatically, or do admins have to create users manually? How does offboarding in Entra ID affect access to the software?

Without a direct connection, master data has to be maintained twice. This means creating and deleting users manually in two systems, separate role maintenance and a security risk in offboarding if access is forgotten. In companies with several locations and companies, this effort multiplies.

3 Resources covered (workstations, meeting rooms, parking spaces, services)

In practice, desk sharing rarely runs in isolation. On the same day, employees book a workstation, a meeting room for a project and a parking space. For larger meetings, catering is added. If each resource type is managed in a different system or spreadsheet, the coordination effort increases. Workstation booking software should coordinate these bookings centrally.

Ask: can workstations, meeting rooms, parking spaces and services be planned and booked in one system? Are there restrictions for certain resource types? Desk sharing software should offer a visual map for bookings; interactive floor plans support orientation in the office and make choosing a seat easier, so that employees can see which workstation is available and which one they can choose near their colleagues.

Calendar or Excel based solutions usually only cover one resource type without overarching logic. Real time availability of workstations is particularly important to avoid double bookings. A mobile app increases flexibility in workstation booking; mobile use should also cover spontaneous bookings.

4 Multiple locations and companies

Companies with several locations, branches or companies need different desk sharing rules and space concepts. At the same time, desk sharing is an organisational model across locations that should reflect rules, zones and booking logic differently depending on the office. A location in Munich has different public holidays from one in Hamburg, different hybrid policies and possibly a different language for international companies.

Questions to check: can locations be mapped with their own areas, languages and rule sets? Can users book across locations? Is central administration with decentralised control possible?

Home zones give orientation to employees without fixed workstations and can be configured differently for each location. Departments can be given fixed zones in which members choose their workstation freely. Team and area management is needed for structured office organisation across locations. Central administration with local control prevents facility management from having to set up its own processes at every location.

5 Roles and permissions

Differentiated roles are not a convenience feature in larger organisations, but a governance requirement. Global admins, site managers, team leads and support roles each need exactly the access their task requires.

Ask: which standard roles does the software offer? Can permissions be controlled granularly, for example who may book for whom, who sees reports, who approves resources? How are external service providers or temporary staff with restricted access handled? It is equally important whether rights for employees with different booking or visibility rights can be separated cleanly.

Simple tools often only know “admin or user”. A possible consequence: site managers get either access to all locations or no access to reports at all. The software should support booking rules to ensure fairness, and at the same time allow these rules to be configured differently for each role.

6 Data protection and hosting in the EU

Desk sharing software processes personal data and information on whereabouts. GDPR compliance is therefore not optional but a prerequisite for legal certainty. Data protection officers will ask a number of specific questions, and the answers decide whether the solution is approved.

Questions to check: where is data hosted (specific EU location)? Is there a data processing agreement under Art. 28 GDPR? Which encryption is used in transit and at rest? Is there a documented deletion concept? Can analyses be provided in anonymised and aggregated form so that they cannot be traced back to the individual behaviour of specific people?

Hosting outside the EU, unclear data processing agreements or missing encryption can lead to legal risks. The assessment should be carried out together with the data protection officers and, where appropriate, the legal department.

7 Security and certification

ISO 27001 is the established framework for information security management. The certification shows that a provider operates a systematic security concept, is audited regularly and has defined processes for incidents.

Ask: is there an ISO 27001 certification? Which encryption is used in transit and at rest? Are there regular penetration tests or external security audits?

Without a comprehensible security concept, the IT department usually does not approve a new SaaS system. Integrity and encryption are minimum requirements. Check whether the provider offers a trust centre or comparable documentation.

8 Co-determination and transparency for employees

Desk sharing software usually touches questions of co-determination, for example in the use of booking data, the visibility of attendance and the question of which data is collected for which purpose.

Questions to check: how much transparency do employees have about their data? Are there options for anonymous bookings or reduced level of detail? Is usage data only analysed in aggregated and anonymised form?

Clear communication features that explain which data is used for what make cooperation with the works council easier. Recommendation: discuss works agreements on software use, data protection and analyses with the works council early and have them legally reviewed. The specific design depends on the circumstances in the company.

9 Usage data and analyses for space decisions

Without reliable usage data, decisions on space and operating costs are based on assumptions. Analytics and reports are necessary for space management in the office. A good dashboard gives insight into actual office utilisation, not just the number of bookings.

Questions to check: which analyses does the software offer (utilisation per location, day, area, team)? Is data provided in anonymised and aggregated form? Does the solution capture the difference between booked and actually used workstations?

The difference between booking statistics and a realistic picture of usage is considerable. Bookings alone say little if no shows and spontaneous attendance are not taken into account. Usage analyses help optimise the efficiency of office space and adjust the desk sharing ratio, i.e. the ratio of workstations to employees, on a sound basis. The strategic question is: how much space and which office types will really be needed in future? Without data, the answer remains an estimate.

10 Interfaces to other office systems

Open interfaces make it possible to connect access systems, HR systems and existing infrastructure. Integrating hardware and access control improves automation in desk sharing: when employees join and leave, when access is granted and when data is synchronised with HR systems.

Ask: is there a documented open API? Which standard integrations are available (HRIS, access control, calendar)? Which export formats are supported?

Interfaces reduce duplicate data maintenance. Systems without an open API end up in data silos that create manual maintenance effort and encourage inconsistencies. Extensibility makes it easier to integrate additional functions when requirements change, and existing technology in the office can continue to be used.

11 Rollout time and implementation effort

The time to go live and the project effort for IT, facility management and change management are a key decision criterion. Desk sharing software should be able to grow with the company so that a later switch does not create training and rollout effort again.

Questions to check: how does a typical rollout work (phases, responsibilities)? Which steps does the provider take on, what stays internal? How is employee onboarding organised?

Typical stumbling blocks: time consuming manual setup of spaces, missing training for admins, no clear onboarding strategy. Common mistakes in introduction and provider selection also include insufficient involvement of employees or decisions without a test phase. A test phase can help check usability in live operation before the rollout is extended to all locations. A planned move or refurbishment can be a good time for the introduction, because zones and rules are being redefined anyway. Support and training material are also important selection criteria; check whether the provider has a customer success team that accompanies the introduction.

12 Total cost and pricing model

Pricing models (per user, per active user, per resource, by feature package) are different billing models and usually not directly comparable. Cost and economic efficiency are important considerations, but the licence price alone says little about the actual effort.

Ask: what does the price include (licences, admin functions, support, updates)? Are there implementation costs or minimum terms? Which functions are included in which plan, including with tiered plans or packages?

Recommendation: look at the total cost over the planned period of use: licences, internal implementation effort, training and the value of the data basis for space decisions. Bring IT, procurement and the specialist departments together to assess not only the licence price but also the benefit for transparency on space and costs; weigh savings potential in space and rent against the quality of use on peak days.

How to evaluate the offers

The twelve criteria provide the structure; now you need a process that goes beyond gut feeling and licence prices alone.

Step 1: weight the criteria. Not every criterion has the same priority for every company. IT gives more weight to integration and data protection, Real Estate focuses on usage data and space analyses. Agree together which criteria receive which weight (for example on a scale from 1 to 3).

Step 2: define a rating scale. Rate each solution per criterion on a scale from 1 to 5. Define clearly what “1” means (criterion not met) and what “5” means (criterion fully and demonstrably met).

Step 3: calculate the overall score. Example formula (clearly marked as an example, each company sets its own weights and ratings):

Overall score of provider = sum of (weight per criterion × rating per criterion)

A provider that scores 5 on three highly weighted criteria can achieve a better overall score despite a higher licence price than a cheaper provider with gaps in data protection or usage data.

Step 4: demo in your own Microsoft 365 tenant. Test each solution in your environment: booking via Teams and Outlook, synchronisation via Entra ID, analyses based on your location structure. Usability should require as little training time as possible.

Step 5: check references. Ask for references with a similar company size, industry or location structure. Ask about specific use cases and results.

Document the results in a structured evaluation matrix that serves as an annex to the decision paper.

Objection: isn't a simple booking solution enough to start with?

This objection comes up regularly in budget and IT discussions when costs and project effort are being debated. Three arguments you can use in the decision paper:

Argument 1: a simple booking solution answers the operational question “Who sits where and when?”. The strategic question “How much space and which operating costs do we really need?” remains unanswered. Desk sharing can reduce rent and energy consumption if the data basis for this decision is right. These benefits can only be quantified reliably if real usage data is available.

Argument 2: without reliable and anonymised usage data, decisions on leases, reducing space or refurbishment remain estimates. Only data that goes beyond pure booking statistics shows how many workstations you actually need. A clean desk policy can also be decisive for office space efficiency, because only reliably released workstations can be planned.

Argument 3: switching later from a simple solution to a platform with usage analyses means onboarding, communication effort and technical changeover all over again. There is no guarantee that a more comprehensive solution always pays off; the trade off belongs in the decision paper.

Spreadsheets and calendars are a possible starting point. Simple booking tools cover workstation booking. Solutions with usage analyses also provide the data basis for space and cost decisions. The difference is not a matter of “good or bad”, but of whether the chosen solution delivers the data facility management needs for the business case.

Make transparent in the decision paper what risks doing without usage data poses for future space decisions.

How Seatti fits the 12 criteria

The following table maps the twelve criteria to the capabilities of Seatti, a platform for the modern office that runs natively in Microsoft Teams and Outlook.

For facility management, the core of the selection lies in a question that booking statistics cannot answer: how much space does the company really need? Seatti brings Workspace Management and Office Intelligence together in one system that runs natively in Microsoft 365, and shows utilisation, trends and savings potential to answer it. A booking system alone keeps everyday operations running, but the space decision then remains an estimate. Anyone who wants to manage desk sharing across the company needs this data. When selecting, it is therefore worth rating usage data not as an extra but as a separate criterion with a high weight.

Evidence from practice

What counts in the selection is shown by the example of bonprix. The fashion retailer redesigned its Hamburg campus for hybrid working and found that new spaces alone do not bring anyone into the office: the pilot areas were used far less than planned. bonprix chose Seatti because the solution is easy to use, focuses on users and creates transparency about attendance and space use.

Today, employees book their workstation in a few seconds directly in Microsoft Teams and see in advance who will be on site. Sign-in uses the existing Microsoft account, and the integration into Microsoft Teams and Entra ID kept the effort for IT low. The usage data shows which areas are being adopted and which are not. On this basis, bonprix completely redesigned an area originally planned as a quiet zone. The figures from twelve months: 54,000+ planned office days, almost twice as many office days as the year before and +66% higher utilisation per workstation than in the previous year.

From the matrix to the decision paper

The structured catalogue of criteria makes coordination with IT, data protection, management and the works council easier. For the internal decision paper, you need three elements:

Problem: unclear utilisation, complaints about missing workstations, an expiring lease or office costs under review.

Expected effects: more flexible use of space, better founded space decisions based on real usage data, simpler everyday booking for employees.

Risk comparison: a solution with Office Intelligence provides the data basis for lease and space decisions. A pure booking tool does not provide this data; the decision then remains an estimate.

Your next steps:

• Prioritise the twelve criteria for your own company.
• Create a short evaluation matrix and enter two to three providers.
• Run demos in your own Microsoft 365 environment and define a pilot area.
• Prepare a decision paper with the criteria rating, risks and recommendation.

Would you like to see how Seatti runs in your Microsoft 365 environment? In a 30 minute walkthrough, we show how Seatti simplifies your office processes and puts your space decisions on a solid data basis.

Book a demo now

Read more: Introducing desk booking: a project plan in 2 weeks and Desk sharing and the GDPR: a guide for HR and IT.

Author and sources

Author: Saskia Neuner, Chief of Staff at Seatti. As of 11 November 2026.

This guide does not constitute legal advice.

Sources:

• GDPR (Art. 28)
• Seatti data protection
• Seatti ISO 27001 certificate
• Administration
• GDPR compliance
• Seatti pricing
• Workplace Analytics
• Office Intelligence
• bonprix case study