Contents
If your company is looking for building management software, you’ve most likely come across many acronyms in your search: CMMS, FMS, EAM, and the list goes on! Keeping these terms straight is one thing, but selecting the best building management software solution for your organization is another.
Are you feeling overwhelmed? Don’t be. We’re correcting the record. Here are the five most common types of facility management software, what they do, and how they can assist you in meeting your most critical operational goals.
The Various Types of Facility Management Software
1.System of Computerized Maintenance Management (CMMS)
Maintenance technicians, managers, custodial workers, and other facility personnel typically use CMMS to manage maintenance and repair programs in their organizations. A CMMS may be used by an organization to triage service requests, track work orders, manage asset information and costs, schedule preventive maintenance tasks, organize documentation, and other tasks.
Advantages of CMMS
A CMMS is an excellent choice for small businesses looking to save time, improve efficiency, and reduce costs in order to improve their bottom line. Use it if you need a low-cost software solution to help you better manage your buildings, spaces, equipment, and assets. Most CMMS options available today are cloud-based, which means your solution will not require manual updates all year.
CloudApper CMMS is an example of CMMS software.
CMMS vs. Facility Management Software: Which Is Better?
CMMS, as the name implies, is almost entirely intended for facility maintenance. Facility management software is more comprehensive, allowing you to manage assets, asset life cycles, condition data, building condition, and even compliance.
CMMS and facility management software are frequently used in tandem to achieve the best of both worlds.
2. Software for Facility Management
Facility management software incorporates additional applications that benefit the entire organization, in addition to the capabilities of a typical CMMS (as mentioned above). This software can be used by facilities departments to perform and manage the following tasks:
- Asset mapping based on location
- Asset administration
- Maintenance administration
- Management of preventive maintenance
- Analytics and reporting on data
Facility management software also benefits leadership teams because the data it collects can shed light on the strengths and weaknesses of current operations:
The Advantages of Facility Management Software
The ability to manage maintenance-related activities while also gaining data-driven insight into operations is the main benefit of facility management software, according to operations teams. The data collected through various modules ultimately reveals the most cost-effective improvements that can be made, both now and in the future. A platform for building infrastructure may also include:
Facility management software can be especially beneficial in promoting business process efficiency and demonstrating compliance with OSHA, the Joint Commission, ACHC, and other regulatory agencies.
Data from facility management software can be used for capital planning; managers can use the data to accurately set aside replacement reserve funds and prioritize asset renewals, increasing net operating income (NOI).
Overall, the data collected in an infrastructure platform will assist your organization in safeguarding operations, reducing deferred maintenance, meeting regulatory compliance requirements, and making smarter, high-level data-driven business decisions.
CloudApper Facilities is an example of Facility Management Software.
3. Software for Enterprise Asset Management (EAM)
EAM software stands for “enterprise asset management.” The scope of assets across an organization’s departments, locations, buildings, and business functions is referred to as enterprise (like Human Resources, Procurement, and Inventory). While a CMMS is primarily concerned with maintenance, an EAM software system also includes the aforementioned business areas and functions.
A CMMS will also begin tracking asset information and performance after the asset has been purchased and installed, whereas an EAM system will track the entire asset lifecycle, beginning with planning and installation.
Benefits of Enterprise Asset Management (EAM): Enterprise asset management (EAM) aims to manage the entire lifecycle of physical assets and equipment in order to maximize useful life, reduce costs, improve quality, and promote efficiency. If your organization is looking for a way to integrate maintenance activity information with associated labor, inventory, materials, tools, and other information from facilities and other departments, consider using an EAM system.
CloudApper Assets is an example of EAM software.
Facility Management Software that Promotes Operational Excellence
The CloudApper facility management software is specifically designed to assist your organization in gaining access whenever and wherever it is required, as well as extend the useful life of buildings and assets through the power of data-driven building management.
Get users up and running quickly with intuitive software that is powerful yet simple to use. Utilize in-app data reporting and analytics tools to take control of your organization’s facilities-related KPIs. To achieve your ideal return on investment, reveal the true picture of operations and track maintenance activities.