RISA builds simplicity for office professionals in construction
RISA, one of Norway’s largest construction and maintenance companies, employs more than 600 people across field and office roles. Their challenge was simple but serious: how to give office professionals one clear starting point for the workday. They needed a digital workspace that simplified access, accelerated cloud adoption and brought their systems together.
How they did it
Before Workspace 365
✘ Office users searched for apps via local start menus or browser favourites
✘ Every software change meant frustration and extra explanation
✘ No overview of available tools
✘ High pressure on internal support due to tech confusion
✘ New employees had to be onboarded manually
✘ Each department used their own tools and processes
With Workspace 365
✓ Everyone begins their day from one central, personalised digital workspace, saving time and confusion
✓ IT simply updates atile.No retrainingor disruption
✓ Visual, branded tiles make every application visible and familiar
✓ Onboarding fully automated within hours.Access appears instantly based on role and licence
✓ Centralised management removes silos and streamlines access
In 2018, RISA chose Workspace 365. Seven years later, that decision still pays off. Workspace 365 has become the digital heartbeat of RISA’s back office. IT Manager Thomas Baklund explains how it helped RISA eliminate noise, reduce support requests and make onboarding effortless.
The challenge: making the digital back office as efficient as the site
In a sector where attention naturally goes to the construction site, RISA wanted the same efficiency behind the scenes. Their office teams relied on too many disconnected tools, and IT spent most of its time firefighting instead of improving systems. “Earlier the IT department worked only putting out fires and following up with external support. We wanted to change that and work preventively instead,” says IT Manager Thomas Baklund.
RISA needed a secure, user-friendly environment that brought everything together, giving people one clear starting point without adding IT overhead. They were also preparing to move fully to the cloud to support this new, streamlined way of working.
The solution: creating one clear digital workspace
In 2018, RISA decided to modernise completely, moving to the cloud and introducing Workspace 365 as the single layer connecting all systems and people.
“At that time, going all-in on the cloud wasn’t common in construction. But we saw it as the only way to simplify, scale and remove IT bottlenecks,” says IT Manager Thomas Baklund.
Workspace 365 gave RISA what the cloud alone couldn’t. One workspace where everything works together.
"Workspace 365 has made our life a lot easier by showing every user only what they need. People no longer get confused by tools they don’t use, and the structure is much cleaner"
Thomas Baklund
IT Manager of RISA
We’ve digitalised the entire onboarding process, from creating users to collecting information and e-signing. IT isn’t involved at all anymore,” Thomas explains.
“Before, it could take hours. Now it’s fully automatic, new employees are set up in minutes.”
The impact didn’t stop there. “Earlier, IT spent all day putting out fires and managing externals. Now we’re one person fewer in support and no longer use external contractors,” says Thomas.
That change equates to a 40–50% reduction in support workload, freeing IT to focus on preventive work and process improvements.
“We still train people on how to use the programs themselves,” Thomas notes, “but not on where to find them, how to install them, or how to log in. Everything appears automatically with SSO.”
Today, project managers, admin staff and other office roles start their day in Workspace 365. They open apps through visual tiles, access documents and communicate in one flow. IT manages visibility and access centrally. New hires see everything they need from day one. No training. No confusion. No waiting.
What once felt like a bold experiment is now how RISA runs every day. Simple, central and cloud-driven.
What users say
“We never expected Workspace 365 to become this natural,” says Thomas
“Our employees expect every tool to be in Workspace 365. If it’s not there, they assume it’s missing, that’s how central it’s become. It just works. That’s why we get so few questions.”
Thomas Baklund
IT Manager of RISA
The turning point: when silence speaks volumes
Three years ago, Workspace 365 briefly went down a rare outage.The reaction was instant.
“The IT department got calls right away, not because tools were offline, but because people couldn’t start their day without Workspace 365,” Thomas recalls.
That’s adoption. When something becomes invisible until it’s gone, it’s embedded.
What changed: measurable simplicity
Onboarding in seconds: Full automation of user creation, data collection and e-signing means IT no longer needs to be involved, saving hundreds of hours each year.
Up to 50% fewer IT tickets: The IT team is one person smaller and fully self-sufficient, with no external contractors required.
Zero retraining with every update: Employees keep working in the same place, while IT simply updates one tile. No disruption. No downtime. No digital friction
Effortless updates: when an app changes, IT simply updates one tile. Employees continue working in the same spot, no retraining, no digital friction.
7 years of uninterrupted adoption with fewer questions:Workspace 365 has become the default starting point for the teams since rolled out
Personalisation and clarity: dynamic groups and visual tiles create a clean, role-based structure that employees can enrich with their own shortcuts and favourites.
“People use Workspace 365 like they used browser favourites, but now it’s centralised and easier to manage,” says IT Manager Thomas Baklund.
Why it works for construction
RISA’s story shows how construction companies with project-based or temporary office teams can bring order to their IT. Without losing simplicity or security.
Single Sign-On and MFA enable ensure secure access to every system
Personalised workspaces remove digital waste, so every role sees only what drives the build.
No local infrastructure needed. Everything runs in the cloud saving cost
What's next
RISA currently uses Workspace 365 mainly for office professionals. Their field workers access a few mobile apps, but a broader rollout is under review. With improved mobile login and clear ROI, expansion is now firmly on the table.
They’re also exploring: Native app launches directly from the mobile workspace
AI integrations for faster, smarter search
Simpler document access for field teams
“Keep it simple. Don’t block things off. Let users shape their own workspace,” advises IT Manager Thomas Baklund.
That mindset, giving people freedom within structure, has fuelled RISA’s success.
The foundation is in place, and now it’s time to build further. RISA turned a complex toolset into a single, effortless start for every workday. From cloud migration to daily simplicity, they’ve proven that digital clarity drives real productivity.
Workspace 365 isn’t just a platform – it simplifies the IT landscape. Helping you and your team tounlock the ultimate digital work focus, so you can concentrate on high-value tasks that truly make an impact.
