Facility management software is a turnkey solution that integrates all the features and functions of both CMMS and CAFM software in one software package. Facility management software achieves this by creating a platform upon which multiple functional modules are deployed to address each of the functional needs that were previously deployed separately in CMMS and CAFM tools.
See our blog article, “What is IWMS?”, for more details on the eventual confluence of asset management and space management tools into today’s integrated facility management software SaaS platform.
Facility management software makes it possible to not only perform the tasks you could do before with CMMS/CAFM, but also improve efficiencies by sharing access control, common network/software resources, AND combining the rich data harvest from across the platform, for improved reporting and context. With the advent of inexpensive IoT sensors and gateways, facility management software now has the ability to automatically collect actual, real-world data in real-time: space occupancy, temperature fluctuations, air pressure, humidity and even the floorplan locations of often-moved assets such as IV pumps and wheelchairs…again, in real-time.
The following table provides a high-level overview of the menu of features that modern facility management software now makes possible, including new, integrated features:
- John D. Rockefeller
The term “IWMS” was first coined in 2004 by Gartner, a leading technology research firm. It is used interchangeably with the term “facility management software” but is sometimes preferred in current parlance because IWMS, or integrated workspace management system, better describes the integrated nature of modern facility management software. However, the two terms refer to the same set of tools and solutions.
Facility management software dramatically improves how a complex facility is managed, resulting in operational efficiencies. Specifically, IWMS benefits customers by: (1) reducing cost, (2) raising safety standards, (3) increasing space productivity, (4) improving occupant satisfaction, and (5) streamlining facility operations. A detailed blog post on these top 5 benefits is posted here: “Top 5 Benefits of IWMS Software”
You can choose just the software modules you need to run your facility. There are two base modules you need to purchase for administrative and user configuration, but everything else can be activated on demand.
Yes, VLogicFM can greatly compliment your existing CMMS tools. As mentioned in FAQ 1.2 above, you can choose to activate whatever specific space management modules you want to use to complement your existing CMMS platform. For example, you could activate essential space management modules to start: As-built, Space, and Employee. Later, you could turn on additional space management modules Scheduling and Tracking to enable hot-desking and real-time occupancy tracking features, respectively.
Yes, VLogicFM requires CAD as-built drawings. However, don’t worry if you only have PDF or paper versions of your as-built drawings. Our in-house drafting team can migrate those documents to the proper CAD format.
Yes, we can help you even when your drawings are not accurate. Our in-house services team can travel to your site and perform a drawings verification survey so that our drafters can update your drawings based on those onsite measurements.
Generally, we will need three things for deployment of an IWMS system: (1) accurate as-built CAD drawings of your facility, ideally in CAD format, (2) an Excel spreadsheet that indicates the departments, service lines, or cost centers you wish to assign to the spaces on your floor plan, and (3) a list of your expected users, including their names and email addresses.
The length of time to onboard a facility is directly linked to the square footage size of your facility. For a small 100,000 SQFT facility with accurate CAD drawings, we need less than a week to onboard the facility. The onboarding time will increase for larger facilities, or if VLogic’s in-house services team is required to verify or update your drawings.
Upon receipt of your CAD files, our drafters will (1) create “polylines” or CAD software objects that correspond to each of the identifiable spaces on your floor plan. (2) Our IWMS system will tag these polylined spaces with unique IDs and then link them to the departmental/service line/cost assignments you provided in Excel. (3) The CAD files are then run through a software checker to ensure that its properties match up with the requirements of our IWMS system. Upon passing this drawings test, (5) we will upload the files to the VLogicFM system. Following this step, (6) we configure your users and software settings and (7) activate your account.