A practical guide to IWMS software for IT teams and other professionals
June 22, 2023
September 26, 2024
Technology is at the center of today’s offices making Integrated Workplace Management System (IWMS) software a game-changing and highly necessary solution to manage this new digital toolkit. IWMS software integrates multiple aspects of corporate real estate, workplace management, and infrastructure into a single, centralized system.
This innovative tool is key for businesses trying to become more digitally agile. Whether the goal is improving office operations' efficiency or managing energy usage and maintenance, IWMS software is the perfect solution. Such platforms gather data that predicts future business needs, such as the allocation of resources or cost savings.
With the rise of hybrid work these systems become even more essential enabling companies to adapt and optimize their spaces to support our evolving nature of work.
In this guide, we will delve into the various dimensions of IWMS software, examining its features, benefits, and application. Read on to explore the potential of using an IWMS for your team!
What is an integrated workplace management system?
Definition of an IWMS software
Integrated Workplace Management System software, or IWMS, is a platform for managing corporate real estate (CRE), including building management, energy usage, space allocation, and maintenance.
The word ‘integrated’ is important here. It means this platform combines multiple technologies and data into one system. This makes it accessible to CRE managers, workplace managers, and IT.
The five core aspects of an IWMS
5 core aspects characterize an IWMS which are:
- Space and facility: provides floor plans and data on occupancy. It helps improve space utilization, reduce real estate costs, and manage desk booking and meeting room reservations.
- Real estate portfolio and lease accounting: gives an overview of each property, including its square footage, occupancy, and costs.
- Maintenance: used for the management of service requests. It ensures the right maintenance is taken care of even before needed, and keeps track of costs.
- Capital: helps monitor construction documentation, such as blueprints, bids, costs, and schedules.
- Energy and sustainability: provides a comprehensive view of energy consumption.
A few statistics about IWMS you should know about
To better understand the impact of IWMS, let’s explore some data on the topic. The 2019 Study on the Integrated Workplace Management System (IWMS) Marketplace, Forecast to 2024 reports these key findings about the state of IWMS:
- By 2024, the market for IWMS solutions integrated with IoT technology is projected to expand to $2.8 billion.
- The overall global IWMS market is set to exceed $11.5 billion in the same year, with North America taking the lead.
- On-premise solutions in North America are expected to surpass $2.4 billion by 2024, experiencing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.9%.
- By 2023, more than 80% of IWMS software is anticipated to incorporate AI capabilities.
- The IoT industry is predicted to drive up to 55% of the IWMS software market by 2024.
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Who usually makes the most use of IWMS software, and how?
IWMS software is a broad category that is relevant for a number of roles in an organization, including those dealing with corporate real estate and the management of space, resources, and finance.
IT leaders
The role of an IT professional is to manage all technological systems and maintain the company’s overall tech infrastructure. Therefore, they play an important role in implementing and using IWMS.
IT professionals are responsible for the integration aspect of IWMS, ensuring that everything is consolidated into one platform. Using such solutions, IT leaders help automate tasks and streamline workflows, improving the efficiency and productivity of the office and organization.
CRE and Facility managers
The most likely use of IWMS is CRE and facilities management. Their main job is to ensure all facilities are organized, especially if there is more than one to be managed, and to improve workspace efficiency. This includes ensuring all employees have the space, tools, and resources to do their jobs.
CRE and facility management has become increasingly important in the world of hybrid work, where buildings and facilities fluctuate in terms of occupancy and utilization. Therefore, IWMS guides the work of CRE and facility managers by centralizing all necessary information about the workplace, such as space utilization and cost data.
Digital workplace professionals
Digital workplace professionals include anyone who manages or interacts with the digital elements of the workplace. This includes HR managers whose main goals are to ensure employee happiness and improve recruitment and retention. For example, they use IWMS to onboard new employees or administer a desk booking app.
Then there are general team managers who often have to organize a whole set of technologies they use for their team function. And finally, employees themselves use IWMS when interacting with different digital resources, searching for data, or needing to use the digital toolkit set out for them by their manager.
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Why should you use this type of workplace management tool?
Flexible work becomes the norm
With flexible work models like hybrid work becoming the norm for many companies, a workplace management tool is essential for tracking who comes into the office and when.
This is not only important for determining how to allocate desks, offices, and resources but also for defining opportunities to downsize the office and its costs.
The use of data is key for decision-making and optimization
IWMS gathers data that can be used to make crucial decisions about downsizing office space or getting a larger office. Additionally, having utilization data, such as which parts of the office register the highest occupancy rates, helps guide space optimization.
In other words, facility managers can use such data to create more desks or meeting rooms in order to create a working environment that is better aligned with employees’ needs.
Teams collaborate and communicate better
IWMS helps streamline operations such as resource booking and billing and centralizes important data, decreasing unnecessary communication about important documents, research, and scheduling.
Due to its integrated nature, IWMS boosts collaboration by connecting the people, places, and data within the organization.
Expenses are reduced and optimized
Business leaders can downsize the office by understanding utilization and occupancy, reducing rental and ancillary costs. The data collected by an IWMS reveals what is being underutilized and can therefore be cut or repurposed to serve a different need.
In smart buildings, these systems can measure costs for certain actions being taken in real-time. For example, sensors can detect the amount of energy being used, and you can therefore determine how much energy consumption is costing the business.
Workplace experience is fundamental
As research and observation have demonstrated, workplace experience and employee happiness ultimately drive business success. By improving communication and flexible work opportunities, an IWMS improves employee engagement and experience.
Besides, using such systems creates greater transparency between employees and leaders, allowing all stakeholders to have access to the necessary information. In turn, this trust and openness improve upon organizational culture.
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How can the deskbird solution help you in terms of workplace management?
The deskbird solution is the perfect workplace management solution to add to your IWMS if you want to increase employee autonomy, gain insight into the utilization of your office, and create an efficient hot desking system.
Provide clear data about your office use
The deskbird app provides workplace analytics, allowing leaders to review their remote employee distribution, office attendance, and absences.
It also provides office analytics so facility managers understand which resources are often booked and how the office is being used overall.
This data is shown in real-time and can be downloaded into customizable reports. The cherry on top is that it can be tailored for each individual team.
Support your workforce with weekly planning
The week planning feature gives employees the autonomy to schedule in-office and home-office days, which is then displayed for their co-workers to see.
Moreover, team members can book desks and meeting rooms, reserving their preferred space from an interactive floor plan of the office. This not only motivates employees to come into the office, but it also improves facility management.
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Enhance collaboration and employee experience
By encouraging working from the office, deskbird drives collaboration. The more people come to the office, the more fruitful collaboration takes place, and the better the overall employee experience is.
Many of us miss the social element of coming to work and building personal relationships with our colleagues. An app like deskbird creates the opportunity.
Help you save on office cost
By understanding office occupancy and utilization, there are more opportunities for downsizing. If the occupancy data collected shows that only half of the team is coming in weekly, facility and CRE managers have the data to justify moving into a smaller building.
Additionally, utilization data might reveal that certain parts of the office are being used less than others. This means ancillary costs in that part of the office can be reduced by turning off energy sources.
Integrated Workplace Management System software is a powerful platform that combines various technologies and data into one system, enabling efficient corporate real estate management. IWMS encompasses five core aspects: space and facility management, real estate portfolio and lease accounting, maintenance, capital management, and energy and sustainability.
With the rise of flexible work models, IWMS software is essential for tracking office usage and optimizing space allocation. Besides, these systems provide insight into utilization patterns enabling organizations to make data-driven decisions about downsizing or expanding office space. Furthermore, IWMS enhances teams collaboration and communication by streamlining operations and centralizing data.
Solutions like deskbird contribute to efficient workplace management.Our platform empowers organizations to adapt to evolving work models, make data-driven decisions, and create a productive work environment. Request a free demo to discover more about the perks of the deskbird app!
