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Are you looking to introduce a CAFM system to your organization? To ensure long-term success, it’s important to choose the right system – one that will effectively meet the needs of both your business and your end-users.
Check out our tips below for choosing the best CAFM system for your organization! Ask yourself the following questions:
1. Which areas of your organization will be using the CAFM system?
Many of our customers initially bring on a CAFM system for a specific use-case or task, and later choose to expand the system for other purposes. It’s important to consider the full range of projects and departments within your organization that would benefit from having a CAFM system. Keep in mind that the use-cases for a CAFM are widespread and can range from managing assets (buildings, land parcels, facilities, greenspaces, contracts, vehicles, and lighting systems) to organizing facility-related processes (maintenance, resource monitoring, cost evaluation, cleaning, time recording, and rental management).
Once you’ve considered where and how your CAFM system will be used, you will want to choose a system that can meet all your required needs. Choosing one system rather than many can help you to save time, money, and effort – now and in the future.
2. What are your technical requirements for implementing a CAFM system?
Choosing an easy-to-use system can reduce your training requirements, minimize unnecessary hardware purchases, and reduce the need for time-consuming software installations. For this reason, it’s important to choose a system that is modern, up-to-date, and continuously adapted to the latest system and software updates. Something else to keep in mind is that a system that is centrally hosted, and device independent (i.e., available on desktop, PC, tablet, and smartphone) can make implementation quicker and easier.
Finally, it’s important to consider your organization’s data protection requirements. Depending on what these requirements are, you may need a system that can host your CAFM data in a cloud environment, or you may need to operate the system using your own servers.
3. Do you need support for migrating data and connecting to other third-party systems?
Migrating existing data into a new system can be a daunting task! Choosing a system that offers support for data migration can help you to save time and effort. For instance, CAFM systems with pre-defined processes and structured object properties are often easier to migrate data into.
You also need to consider whether your CAFM system will be integrated with other third-party systems. If so, choosing a system that allows you to connect other enterprise software systems via flexible interfaces can help you to get your CAFM up and running more quickly (and easily!).
4. How will your CAFM system be used for collaboration throughout your organization?
Your employees probably want a solution that will make their jobs easier and more efficient. Choosing a CAFM system that supports role-based authorizations can help you to provide your team with the information they need to clearly understand their tasks – down to the very last detail. And… not only will this benefit your employees, but it can also help your organization stay on top of data protection requirements!
By configuring your data to be available on a need-to-know basis, it eliminates the need for filtering through information that isn’t needed for a given role or task. It also helps to improve the security of confidential information and eliminates risks associated with data sharing.
5. What are your needs for visualizing and analyzing data?
Choosing a system that allows you to visualize complex information and patterns using graphics, diagrams, and/or maps can go a long way in helping you to do more with your data. Try to choose a system that offers modern analytics tools, extensive visualization options, and capabilities for connecting to BIM and GIS data in both 2D and 3D.
Reporting features are also important. By building out reports you can do more with your facility data. Choosing a system that offers functionalities for building high-quality report templates can help you to identify trends that support your business decisions. With reports you can also visualize your organization’s needs, strategies, and successes.
6. Which licensing model works best for you and what is your budget?
When choosing a CAFM system, make sure you’re only going to be paying for what you actually need. Selecting a flexible licensing model that is based on a specific number of users and use-cases can help you to save money. Also try to choose a licensing model that includes regular system updates. This ensures that you will always have access to the latest software (and new functionalities!) and can help you to minimize security risks.
Finally, choose a system that you will give you access to the resources, project implementation services, and long-term support you need to make the most of your CAFM and facility information.
Now that you know what to look for in a CAFM system, it’s time to choose the system that works best for you! Check out the CAFM options offered at VertiGIS!
Want to learn more? Contact us today to find out how you can get started with your new CAFM system.
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