Office as a Service: Drawing Parallels to Cloud Computing

The needs of offices are rapidly changing, particularly in the wake of COVID-19 and evolving employee demands for flexibility.

As the CTO and co-founder of Flowpass, with over 20 years of experience in the tech industry, I, Tomas, can't help but notice the similarities with the shift that has occurred in hosting with cloud providers such as AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure.

Much like the market for compute and storage, which has shifted to be offered as a service by large cloud companies, a similar shift is also occurring in the world of office spaces.

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On-Premise == Traditional office leases

Cloud: Historically, companies managed their digital infrastructure through on-premise servers, requiring dedicated data centers and specialized staff. This setup offered full control over server management and customization, albeit at the expense of flexibility and higher operational costs.

Offices: Similarly, in the realm of office spaces, opting for large offices with long-term leases mirrors the on-premise approach. Companies commit to extensive contracts to secure the ability to tailor spaces to their precise requirements, accepting less flexibility for the benefit of customization.

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Virtual servers == Flexible Offices

Cloud: Virtualization and containerization have transformed computing, allowing for easy scaling and deployment. Choose your required compute needs, spin up servers, and manage workloads efficiently.

Offices: Echoing this flexibility, the office industry now offers workspaces as a service. Select from small rooms to large floors, fully operational and equipped, simplifying office setup and mirroring the cloud's scalability.

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Serverless computing == On-Demand offices  (pay as you go)

Cloud: Serverless computing represents the pinnacle of cloud flexibility, offering a true pay-as-you-go model. It eliminates the need for pre-allocated servers, dynamically adjusting resources to meet demand, ensuring you only pay for the compute time you actually use.

Offices: Reflecting this model, the office space industry has introduced on-demand options like day passes and meeting rooms. This approach allows businesses to pay only for the space they need, when they need it, maximizing efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

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Auto-Scaling: Cloud and Workspaces

Cloud: The move to the cloud allowed companies to scale computing resources up or down based on actual needs, bypassing the old way of data center forecasting. This shift offered a more flexible and almost limitless computing capacity with auto-scaling.

Offices: The shift to flexible workspaces enabled businesses to adjust their office sizes as needed, stepping away from predicting staff numbers years ahead and lengthy lease commitments. This change ensures office spaces are always right-sized to current requirements.

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Consolidated payments

Cloud: While understanding cloud service billing can be complex, it's a step up from the past when companies had to juggle invoices from data center providers, hardware vendors, and software suppliers. Now, cloud users benefit from receiving a single invoice, simplifying the payment process.

Offices: Similarly, for flexible workspaces, the ability to aggregate suppliers and consolidate payments into one streamlined experience is now a reality. This is especially helpful for international companies navigating complex VAT laws and cross-border payments.

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Flowpass Brings the Cloud’s Ease to Office Spaces

Flowpass does for office spaces what cloud computing did for data storage and compute. We provide a simple platform where you can easily find, book, and manage flexible office spaces, including day passes, meeting rooms, or spaces for your team. It’s all about making the management of your office needs as straightforward as handling your cloud services, complete with tools to oversee access, costs, and your overall workspace setup efficiently.

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