In a previous blog I outlined three underlying developments that impact the domain of Real Estate and Facility Management. I then addressed the economic and demographic developments. In this blog, I elaborate on the third and final category of these underlying developments: those with regards to technology.
Technologies such as the Internet or mobile devices are fully integrated into today's society. Technology blurs the division between work and home, as employees can just as easily work from home and are practically always on standby. In many cases, employees expect the same technology to be available in their workplace as in their private lives. This means that the employer needs to facilitate this, which is sometimes also referred to as the ‘consumerisation of technology’.
In addition, technological developments follow each other in rapid succession. Whether you are talking about Big Data, the Internet of Things, analytics, machine learning or artificial intelligence, all these innovations have an impact on the work we do and how we do it. The fact that the combination of information, analytics and intelligence has, to many organisations, become the main production factor, is revealing.
Just imagine the opportunities that arise when robots start appearing in the workplace in large numbers. Not only physical robots, but also smart software that uses sensors to monitor the environment and make autonomous decisions. These developments enable the automation of straight-forward, standard work, rendering various types of jobs obsolete within three to five years. Examples include dangerous activities such as inspections from great heights, which ultimately can be carried out by robots or drones.
In Planon’s white paper ‘From trend to reality: 10 trends that will shape Real Estate and Facility Management by 2022’ ‘technology’ has deliberately not been distinguished as one of those trends and there is a reason for this. Technology plays an important role in each of these.
In 2022, technology will be your right hand and source of knowledge. Thanks to technology, you will be able to produce better decisions, make forecasts, innovate and optimise continuously for a more efficient business operation.
Technology is, therefore, set to become even more important than it is today and it will be offering endless opportunities. The current pace of innovation is extremely high and technology and software are becoming less and less complex and more and more accessible. User-friendliness increases on a daily basis and customisation to personal needs is becoming the norm for organisations. The rise of the Internet of Things makes the integration of core systems such as ERP and IWMS necessary in order to profit from the diversity of new technologies. Not only to be able to monitor the large volumes of Big Data, but also to interpret this data and enable harmonisation with personal needs. Examples include the deployment of sensors in order to measure the temperature in workplaces and to create an insight into this for employees. This way, employees can select a workplace that matches the environmental temperature they desire.
Software and technology are therefore becoming better and better at supporting the individual. This should not be a scary development but one to welcome with open arms. Technology is going to be your best friend. Hence it is important to Real Estate and Facility Management to get acquainted with that friend in good time.
