Report cover image

The Rise of the Third Space and Its Impact on Smart Office Technology

Publisher IDC
Published Sep 17, 2025
Length 6 Pages
SKU # IDC20411683

Description

The rise of third spaces — work environments beyond traditional offices and homes — represents a transformative shift in the modern workplace. This Market Perspective explains why third spaces are growing, how they are reshaping employee experiences and real estate strategies, and what this means for smart office communication technology.Driven by the normalization of hybrid work, adaptive reuse of underutilized real estate, and advancements in enabling technologies, third spaces are becoming a strategic component of enterprise workplace strategies. These spaces, including coworking hubs, hospitality-driven venues, and transit nodes, offer employees flexibility, proximity, and tech-ready environments that address privacy and productivity gaps that arise at home. For technology suppliers, this evolving ecosystem presents opportunities to deliver seamless, HQ-level experiences through scalable solutions that prioritize interoperability, adaptive security, and robust performance metrics. "Third spaces redefine work by blending flexibility, proximity, and tech-ready environments, thus reshaping employee experiences and enterprise strategies in the era of hybrid work." — Senior Research Manager Gala Spasova, Europe Smart Office and EMEA Content & Knowledge Management Strategies, IDC

Table of Contents

6 Pages

Executive Snapshot

New Market Developments and Dynamics

What is "Third Space"?

The Rise of Third Spaces

Third Spaces in Europe

Employee Expectations from Third-Space Experiences

Seamless Connectivity and Plug-and-Play Peripherals

Security and Compliance That Travel with the User

Advice for the technology supplier

Learn More

Related Research

Synopsis

Search Inside Report

Pricing

Currency Rates
How Do Licenses Work?

How Do Licenses Work?

The primary function of a report license is to define how many people within a company are authorized to use the purchased report. This is separate to how a report might be delivered. Unless specifically identified otherwise, the purchase option is Single User. Below is a helpful description of that license, along with a sampling of others most commonly offered.

  • This license allows only one user to have access to and to use/read the report. It is not one user at a time or one user group; it is an individual who will be reading and utilizing the report.

  • This license allows for the entire purchasing company to read and use the report. This is the license level that would allow for a report to be placed on an internal company shared drive for access by all employees of that direct company. This license does not extend to parent or sister company use.

  • This license is designed to allow an entire department within a company full access to a report. The departmental license is a great option for companies that have more than one location and the department is spread out all over the country/world

  • This license is for companies that have one location where they want the report to be accessible by all employees within that physical location.

  • This is the most flexible of the licensing options. Some publishers will allow you to get a license for a preset number of people (typically 5). These licenses are ideal for small work groups.

License options are at the discretion of each publisher. As such, not all licenses indicated above are available for every product. If you are uncertain of the best license for your needs or would like a license that is not proactively available, please contact us and we will be happy to assist.

Head shot

Questions or Comments?

Our team has the ability to search within reports to verify it suits your needs. We can also help maximize your budget by finding sections of reports you can purchase.
Chat Now
Contact Us