Space Explorer Web App

OVERVIEW

Smart Desking is a flexible workspace solution that allows employees to reserve dynamically allocated desks (Hot Desks) instead of having assigned seating. It is a key part of hybrid work models and is commonly managed through IoT, AI, and cloud-based platforms.

SUPPORT AND ONBOARDING

Please follow the link below to find out about the different ways to get support for Cisco Spaces.

Support Info Link

PREREQUISITES

This runbook should only be used as a follow on from the Spaces OS Runbook. Please refer to that document before progressing here.

Spaces Infrastructure Readiness

Licensing Requirements

Individual Workstations/Desk Spaces are NOT licensed, but:

• Sufficient licensing for mapped square footage is required.

• Webex Desk & Phone Series devices need at minimum Spaces ADVANTAGE (ACT or UNLIMITED) in a current production environment. (roadmap capability – Phase 2 EFT in June 2025 – signup here: https://spaces.cisco.com/cisco-spaces-beta/ )

• SPACES-C-PRM (Spaces Premier for Collaboration & Wireless) license is needed to access the Space Explorer Web App for desk booking when this product moves to Limited Availability (LA) followed by General Availability (GA).

Mapping & Desk Identification

Digital Map Pro (3D Rich Map) Setup:

• Desk IDs must be included in a CAD file to create a Workstation space type.

• CAD files are processed into Digital Maps Pro (must be Published under Setup > Locations & Maps > Digital Maps)

• Workstation space types auto-added to Space Manager > Manages Desks (requires a Cisco Spaces PM enabling a feature flag).

• Workstations must be added to bookable inventory from Space Manager > Manages Desks

Desk Management in Space Manager

Hot Desk Setup:

• Admins can designate "hot desks" for booking.

• Workstations marked as hot desks will be assigned a Cisco Spaces proprietary calendar:

  • Users can book for the whole day and cancel their booking

  • Only one booking per user

  • Desk bookings reset at midnight local time

Single Sign On (SSO) Readiness

End-User SSO Login (not via CCI)

Users log in using:

• Webex Login

• Microsoft 365 Login (admin consent required)

• Google Login

Enables seamless authentication for employees using existing SSO login flow.

Desk Booking Process

Booking via Companion Web App

• Users login via SSO (Microsoft 365 or Google)

• They visually scan the digital map for available desks

• They click on a desk/space

• They click “Book This Desk” to book it instantly

IMPLEMENTATION

Setup > Location & Maps > Digital Maps

1. Open the Cisco Spaces dashboard

2. Navigate to Setup > Locations & Maps > Digital Maps > View/Edit

3. Check Workstations and make sure all desk names/IDs are present and unique

4. If any bookable desks/private offices are not clickable and editable, then a new CAD file with desk IDs may be needed.

Space Experience Setup

1. Open the Cisco Spaces dashboard

2. Navigate to Space Experience app

3. Go to Devices

4. Go to Non-Webex Devices

5. Click Add Signage (blue button in top left)

6. Expand each row of the Location Hierarchy until you find the Location/Building you want to add to the Space Explorer web app

7. Click the radio button on the right side of the Location/Building row - green arrow in the screenshot below (NOT the Floor or any other level - red arrow in the screenshot below)

8. Click Next (blue button in bottom right)

9. Expand “Can't see the activation code?”

10. Copy the URL and paste into an Incognito Browser Window

11. Look for and memorize the 4-digit code that loads on the page

12. Type the 4-digit code under Activation code

13. Type a name under Name your signage

14. Click Save (blue button in bottom right)

15. On the Space Experience > Devices > Non-Webex Devices list view, click Configure on the signage just created

16. Go through the configuration steps as normal (this won’t be deployed on a Kiosk, it is only to create a token on the backend)

Space Manager Setup

Spaces PM team or Dev team needs to toggle a feature flag in Space Manager to reveal Space Manager > Manage Desks page while in EFT phase.

1. Open the Cisco Spaces dashboard

2. Navigate to Space Manager app

3. Go to the Manage Desks (if you do not see this page, work with a Spaces PM to enable the feature flag)

4. Choose a Location and Floor from the dropdowns at the top-center of the page

5. Click on Add Hot Desks and the list of all Desks/Workstations from the Digital Maps Editor will appear along with the Map on the right-hand side.

6. Select the Workstation ID check boxes you want to add as bookable desks, then click on the Add Hot Desks button in the bottom right. The desk space will be highlighted in a light blue box on the map panel.

Tip: type text in the “Search desks” field to filter desks in the list or to find neighborhoods of desks by name. Typical office space CAD files use an alphanumeric grid pattern to name Workstations.

7. Once you have added Hot Desks, the List of all selected Hot Desks should appear under the Manage Desks view. In the map panel, Hot Desks are highlighted in a 3D magenta box.

Tenant-to-Domain Mapping

Spaces PM team or Dev team needs to add a Tenant-to-domain mapping for new customers in our system to support Authorization required for desk booking. This requirement is temporary until the self-serve admin interface is available in the Space Experience app. 

Data Required from Customer

IT Admin Consent

Customer Validated - For Microsoft 365 Login, confirm that admin consent is complete.

Webex Login - Admin Permissions

For Webex Login no admin consent is required.

Google Login - Admin Permissions

For Google Login no admin consent is

required.

Microsoft 365 Login - Admin First Time

Background and details on Admin Consent: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity/enterprise-apps/admin-consent-workflow-overview

1. Customer Microsoft 365 admin goes to https://booking.dnaspaces.io

2. Click on “Microsoft” button

3. First time only, a customer will see an “Need admin approval” screen. As a Microsoft 365 full admin, click through “Have an admin account? Sign in with that account.”

4. Review the scopes/permissions, check the consent box, and Accept

Space Explorer Web App - End User Application

End User - Webex Login

1. Click on Webex Login option

2. Enter email address and the follow prompts to complete your organization’s SSO flow

3. Accept permissions

End User - Microsoft 365 Login

Organizations relying on Microsoft 365 Login for their employees must make sure they grant admin consent for the Cisco Spaces - Space Explorer web app to allow users to login. To grant admin consent, a Microsoft 365 admin user with full admin privileges should login to web app using the Microsoft 365 button.

1. Click on Microsoft Login option

2. Enter email address and the follow prompts to complete your organization’s SSO flow

End User - Google Login

1. Click on Google Login option

2. Enter email address and the follow prompts to complete your organization’s SSO flow

3. Click on Continue to access Space Explorer

Space Explorer Web App - Floor View

Space Explorer Web App - UX

CAVEATS AND TIPS

1. When using Microsoft 365 and Okta for SSO end user login, especially on mobile devices, please ensure Mobile Device Management (MDM) is setup to allow access to https://booking.dnaspaces.io

2. Book This Desk gets stuck and a spinner shows indefinitely. Logout and login to try again. Force quit the PWA on iOS or Android and login to try again. The user session may have expired.

2. Save Space Explorer Web App as a home screen bookmark (i.e. PWA) on iOS and Android for easy access

3. Location permissions on the Location list view are optional. The Space Explorer Web App uses location to calculate distance to each building and sorts them by closest to furthest. Otherwise, the list is in alphanumerical order.

4. Outlines for Workstation types in the CAD file produce easily identifiable spaces.

5. Workstation/Desk IDs (or names) must be included in the CAD file layers.

6. Workstation furniture is highly recommended

7. No outlines and IDs/names will result in no editable workstations in the Digital Map Editor. They cannot be turned into bookable desks.

8. In case of Using a MDM solution for devices
   
   Whitelist the Booking App or associated booking URLs (ex. booking.dnaspaces.io)
   Allow required domains used for SSO login (ex. microsoftonline.com, accounts.google.com, webex.com).
   Permit browser-based authentication and app access in the MDM configuration profile.
   Confirm that the user devices can:

   • Reach required endpoints over HTTPS (port 443).

   • Launch the booking app without restrictions from corporate firewalls or MDM policy.

   • Re-test access after applying policy updates.

REFERENCES

• https://runbooks.ciscospaces.io/docs/digital-map-pro-and-cad-dwg-pdf-best-practices

• https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity/enterprise-apps/admin-consent-workflow-overview#how-the-admin-consent-workflow-works