Facility Managers Are In the Clouds

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Well, they aren’t literally in the clouds, however, in terms of how they use the technology they are “in the cloud”. What’s the cloud? In the simplest terms, cloud computing means storing and accessing data and programs over the Internet instead of your computer’s hard drive of on a local server. The cloud is basically a term commonly used to refer to the internet.

So why are facility managers going to the cloud? What benefit does it give them?

Support

Cloud-based technologies are offered as a service. You may hear the term SaaS (Software as a Service) and this model often includes (or offers) a support package for the software. This means that you no longer have to worry about servers crashing or restarting, all of the technical back-end overhead is taken care of for you! This also means that you can focus on the tasks that are important to your role, not keeping supporting third party software.

Security

It’s very important to properly vet your vendors and make sure that they operate securely. Once you do that you’ll find that the vendors that do operate securely are often able to provide a level of security beyond what you can provide internally. This also helps simplify your disaster recovery plan. You’re not responsible for backing up and restoring the data, this falls onto the vendor.

Access From Anywhere

Your facility is big, your desk is not. Your job doesn’t keep you tied down to your desk so your software shouldn’t either. Cloud-based technologies are often able to be used on any device, including web browsers, tablets, and smartphones. This means that you can do your job and use the tools you need at any time, at any location, on any device.

Facilities that use cloud-based technologies can increase workforce and operational efficiencies. These facilities can achieve 25% more efficiency, meaning that they save time and money every single day. The convenience and strong ROI is hard to ignore, so the question is, will you move your facilities applications to the cloud?

3 Challenges That Every Facility Manager Faces

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Facility managers face significant hurdles every single day. From maintenance issues to working on long-term energy efficiency goals, there is a lot to worry about when your job title is Facility Manager. So what are some of the most common and most difficult challenges for a Facility Manager? We’ve broken the huge list down to 4 issues.

Risk of Security Breaches

There are two reasons that this is the first item on the list. First, there are a lot of entry points for hackers to attack Facility Managers, their software, and their team. Preventing cyber attacks can quickly become a full-time job and can also add extra steps for every decision that a Facility Manager needs to make. The Second reason is that your facility data – such as architecture, electrical, HVAC, etc. may be a prime target for criminals as it can be used to commit a variety of crimes.

Disconnected with New Initiatives 

Operational teams are often left out of the design and construction phases of a facility. When these teams and initiatives aren’t working hand and hand, efficiency issues arise and it can also create a lot of rework for a facility manager and their team. This has the potential to damage relationships between particular stakeholders, the Facility Manager, team members and more.

People Don’t Actually Know What You Do

Facility Managers need to wear many hats and this can easily cause confusion for your co-workers. Since the role encompasses a lot of different disciplines the higher ups in the company maybe be confused on your actual role and what projects and initiatives you should actually be responsible for. Not involving the Facility Manager in the right can be a damaging experience for internal teams as well as the Facility itself.

There you have it, three major hurdles that facility managers are always dealing with. Have any other hurdles in mind that we didn’t list? Email us at info@fasttac.com and we’d be happy to consider them for a future blog post!