More efficiency in the digital workplace – How smart tools create a smarter work environment

This article has been translated for your convenience using machine translation. Reasonable efforts have been made to provide an accurate translation. The official text is the German version of this content.

The digital workplace has undergone a rapid transformation in recent years. What was once a space defined by physical filing systems, email clients, office software, and a handful of tools has evolved into a complex, dynamic ecosystem of applications, data flows, communication platforms, and automations. At the heart of this transformation lies a technology that is redefining everything: artificial intelligence. Especially its integration into the office environments of today and tomorrow holds the potential to fundamentally change how we work.

But AI doesn’t just change how we work – it also changes what we still need to do ourselves. The key question becomes: How can companies shape their digital workplace to unlock the full potential of AI – particularly for boosting efficiency? And how can we rethink office management in the process?

The digital workplace 2025: Current status and key challenges

The digital workplace is no longer just a virtual replica of a physical office. It has become a space in its own right where communication, collaboration, data management, project coordination, and process execution come together. At the same time, many companies face the following challenges:

• Tool sprawl: Different teams use different systems, often without any overarching governance.
• Lack of transparency: Companies often don’t have a clear overview of the tools in use, their integrations, or their actual impact.
• Data silos: Information is scattered across tools and departments, making automation and AI integration significantly more difficult.
• Unclear ownership: When everyone manages their own digital environment, who’s actually responsible for orchestrating the bigger picture?

These and other challenges lead to friction, inefficiencies – and ultimately to missed opportunities and untapped potential.

Using AI the right way: from tool to real support in the workplace

Artificial intelligence has the potential to solve many of the issues mentioned above, if implemented correctly. Today’s generation of AI tools (including ChatGPT, Microsoft 365 Copilot, Google Workspace, and industry-specific copilots) can do far more than just deliver information:

• Context-aware automation: AI can identify tasks in emails, suggest next steps, and automatically generate meeting notes.
• Connected content: Documents, chat histories, calendars, and project data are intelligently linked – you no longer need to search for information; it finds you.
• Relief from routine tasks: Researching, summarizing, prioritizing, structuring – AI can handle all this in seconds.
• Data-driven decision-making: Predictive analytics and machine learning support process optimization and strategic choices.

AI is especially powerful when it works directly within the tools people already use, for example, as a copilot in Microsoft Teams, Outlook, or Excel.

Clarity is key: the need for a unified tool strategy

One often overlooked success factor: visibility into the company’s tool landscape. Only when companies know which applications are in use, how they’re being used, and what data they generate can AI be integrated meaningfully. This requires:

• A centralized application inventory
• Standardized evaluation criteria for tools (e.g., efficiency impact, number of users, level of integration)
• A governance model for software implementation, usage, and lifecycle management

Tools that offer no measurable value or duplicate functionality should be questioned or consolidated – not least for reasons of efficiency and cost. Just as important: integrating tools into an overarching data strategy, since AI can only operate effectively with consistent, accessible, high-quality data.

The role of IT: enabler, facilitator, and architect

In the past, IT was often viewed as a reactive unit – responsible for operations, security, and support. In the modern digital workplace, IT becomes a strategic partner:

• Enablement: Providing APIs, integrations, and secure access for AI tools.
• Governance: Ensuring compliance with data protection, regulatory frameworks, and AI model transparency.
• Empowerment: Equipping teams with the skills to use AI effectively – with IT taking on a training and advisory role.
• Scalability: Successful AI applications in one team should be made available to others – standardized, secure, and maintainable – so the entire organization can benefit.

The future lies in interdisciplinary collaboration: Business units + IT + data competence = successful digital working with AI.

No intelligence without data: why a central data strategy is crucial

One frequently underestimated aspect of tool implementation: without a solid data foundation, AI is like an engine without fuel. The quality, availability, and consistency of data determine the success of AI-supported processes. Companies should therefore:

• Identify and consolidate data sources
• Build metadata and context frameworks
• Define data ownership and governance
• Create interfaces between operational tools and strategic analytics

A step-by-step, pragmatic approach is often the most effective with a clear focus on tangible benefits and fast ROI.

Our approach: DataSpark & Possehl Digital Services

Our portfolio companies provide the building blocks for a productive digital workplace:

• DataSpark supports the structured analysis of tool landscapes with a focus on AI integration, helping embed intelligent technologies into daily workflows.
• Possehl Digital Services helps identify data potential, make data usable, and assess how AI can improve processes. The clear goal: to make technology tangible and help businesses turn their digital workplace into a high-performance, adaptive work environment.

Conclusion: the digital workplace is a management responsibility

AI in the digital workplace is no longer optional – it’s a competitive necessity. But for AI to truly deliver value, companies need clarity, strategy, and seamless alignment between tools, data, and people. Those who take the right steps today will work faster, more efficiently, and more resiliently tomorrow.