Olivia Pickering
Marketing Executive
May 21, 2026
HP’s latest vision for the future of work feels like a notable shift, not just for HP, but for the wider industry. In a recent article by Forrester, HP was described as moving beyond its traditional identity as a device manufacturer and repositioning itself as a platform provider focused on orchestrating the employee experience.
For years, workplace technology conversations have centred around endpoints. Faster laptops, better cameras and more powerful devices. But as most IT teams already know, better hardware alone does not automatically create a better experience for employees.
The real challenge inside modern organisations is often the friction between systems, workflows and people. Employees are working across multiple applications, disconnected platforms and increasingly complex environments. IT teams are managing rising expectations around productivity, security, flexibility and user experience, often while dealing with growing operational complexity behind the scenes.
That’s why HP’s focus on orchestration rather than just endpoints stands out.
The idea of creating a more connected ecosystem, where devices, collaboration tools, workflows and AI capabilities work together more seamlessly, aligns closely with what many organisations are already trying to achieve.
What is particularly interesting is the emphasis on reducing “work friction”. That language feels refreshingly practical.
Too often, conversations around AI and digital transformation become dominated by hype. But most organisations are not looking for technology for technology’s sake. They are looking for ways to remove delays, reduce disruption and create more consistent user experiences.
In many ways, this is where Digital Employee Experience (DEX) becomes far more important than individual devices alone.
At DTP Group, we see this challenge regularly. Organisations are not struggling because they lack technology. In most cases, they already have plenty of it. The issue is that technology environments have become fragmented, reactive and difficult to manage at scale.
That’s why platforms such as HP’s Workforce Experience Platform (WXP) are becoming increasingly relevant. Rather than simply monitoring devices, DEX platforms provide visibility into how technology is actually performing in the working environment. They help organisations move away from firefighting individual issues and towards proactively improving the overall experience for employees.
Forrester’s article also highlighted HP IQ and the idea of AI orchestration becoming another architectural layer within the workplace.
That is likely where the next phase of workplace transformation will happen.
The conversation is shifting away from isolated AI tools towards connected experiences. Organisations are starting to ask bigger questions:
How do systems work together?
How do we reduce complexity?
How do we improve flow across the entire operating model rather than optimising individual technologies in isolation?
Importantly, HP’s strategy also acknowledges something many organisations still underestimate – physical and digital workflows are deeply connected.
The inclusion of print, collaboration spaces and edge-based workflows within the wider experience strategy is significant. Despite years of predictions about fully paperless workplaces, many industries still rely heavily on physical processes as part of day-to-day operations.
The organisations seeing the greatest success with DEX are often those embedding improvements into real operational workflows, not simply deploying new tools.
Of course, execution will ultimately determine whether this vision succeeds. As Forrester rightly points out, many technology vendors are now using similar narratives around AI-powered ecosystems and connected experiences.
But the broader direction of travel feels clear.
The future of work is becoming less about managing individual devices and more about orchestrating the entire employee experience across people, platforms and workflows.
For IT leaders, that creates both an opportunity and a challenge. The organisations that succeed will likely be those that focus less on adding more technology, and more on making their existing environment more effective.
