What if IWMS were affordable?

With Bricsnet, implementing a comprehensive IWMS solution doesn't have to break your budget. Our goal is to provide the industry's most highly functional solutions at a cost that even smaller enterprises can afford. One company that recently turned to Bricsnet after an unhappy experience with a competitor told us, "We've spent 4 years and $40 million and have nothing to show for it!" Don't let that be you. Check out Bricsnet for an affordable IWMS solution.

Facility and Asset Management Software -- in Plain English

Andy Fuhrman, Bricsnet's Vice President of Product Development, has been interviewed by reporter Ashley Halligan for her article on the "Software Advice" website, "A Plain English Guide to Facility & Asset Management Software." Check out this article for discussion of the key differences between CAFM, CMMS and IWMS technology solutions.

Bricsnet Supports IFMA's Education Efforts on BIM for Lifecycle Management

Bricsnet FM America, Inc., is playing a supporting role with International Facility Management Association's (IFMA) effort to educate Facility Management professionals in the growing interest and use of Building Information Models for Lifecycle Management.

Bricsnet Vice President of Product Development, Andy Fuhrman and IFMA Fellow is a member of IFMA's BIM for Lifecycle Management Task Force charge with advising IFMA leadership on the role the organization should play on this emerging industry trend and opportunities to educate its members.  

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a new approach to design, construction, and facility management.

Building Information Modeling has emerged as a revolutionary new technology in the facility management industry and is dramatically changing the way buildings are designed, built and operated. 

IFMA’s Facility Fusion conference will provide several BIM-related educational sessions that will help you better understand the technology and discover how to utilize BIM benefits in your own facility.

 

For more information on this topic, check out IFMA's new website containing educational material and announcement on their upcoming conference Facility Fusion in Chicago, April 11-13    http://www.ifma.org/resources/bim/   

If you plan to attend Facility Fusion, we'd enjoy meeting with you at the Bricsnet Booth.  

For more information about Bricsnet, please visit our website at http://www.bricsnet.com or contact Andy.Fuhrman@Bricsnet.com

Bricsnet is Now on Facebook and LinkedIn

Check out the new Bricsnet Facebook and LinkedIn pages -- two more ways that we will be updating you about developments within the IWMS and Project Management industries, as well as about Bricsnet itself.
Bricsnet's Facebook page includes photo albums that walk you through our product lines. Look for videos coming soon!

Temperature: Always A Hot Topic In the Workplace

A new survey from IFMA, Temperature Wars: Savings vs. Comfort, shows that complaints that workers are either too hot or too cold continue to top the list of worker complaints. Interestingly, numbers of "too hot" and "too cold" complaints are always equal. According to IFMA research this is always the case: These two issues often alternate in the top spot from year to year.
As IFMA notes, "Facility managers go to great lengths to keep facilities comfortable for workers, as this comfort is directly tied to worker productivity."
The most common responses from facility managers are spot-checking of temperature, humidity and airflow; verification that the building control system is working properly; and then, adjustment of the temperature control to improve comfort levels.
The most common occupant remedies for the situation include use of personal fans and space heaters -- perhaps not the best solution in these energy-conscious times -- as well as blocking vents, tampering with the thermostats and supplemental clothing. You can read the survey here.
Thanks to Eileen McMorrow for highlighting the survey in the latest issue of McMorrowReport.com.

IWMS: What's In a Name?

Recently, Gartner Inc. has raised the issue of whether IWMS -- Integrated Workplace Management Systems -- is the best descriptor for solutions like Bricsnet that manage a wide range of real estate and facility management-related activities.
The term IWMS was coined by Gartner about 5 years ago, but some in the community argue that it is not sufficiently descriptive. Workplace, they say, is a troublesome term because it leaves out a wide variety of real estate types that are not generally viewed as workplaces: Storage facilities, retail outlets, etc.
Others argue that, whatever its merits, the term IWMS has gained traction. Websites such as IWMS Connect and IWMS News have used it in their branding, and it appears regularly in Requests for Proposal from corporations and other organizations.
And what would be a better name? So far, there appears to be little consensus. Some advocate a name focused on Real Estate, Facilities or both. The two largest professional associations in the discipline -- CoreNet and IFMA -- use those terms. OSCRE, which grew out of a CoreNet initiative, also uses real estate as its defining term. Words like Property and Site also have their advocates, as does the idea of incorporating Lifecycle into the name.
For now, Gartner has decided to keep the IWMS name, but remains open to suggestions about chnging it. It's an interesting discussion, but while it goes on, I suspect that IWMS will continue to build strength as a descriptor.

Effective Project Closeout

An excerpt from Bricsnet's new whitepaper, "Effective Project Closeout Demands Planning and Monitoring From the Start":

Closing out a construction project is one of the most complex elements in
project management, and the one that most often generates lawsuits. While the
primary goal of any project is a functional facility that meets the needs of its
occupants, a successful closeout of the construction process can help to ensure
that the facility can be operated and maintained effectively through its
lifecycle. Moreover, a carefully planned and conducted closeout process can save
years of headaches, and even litigation, for all parties involved in the
construction process. The closeout phase of a project is meant to ensure
that all contractual obligations have been met by all parties and may include
thousands of line items that need to be completed, checked off and documented.
But more than that, careful project closeout is a means of ensuring that all
information and knowledge collected during the course of the project is retained
so that it can be called upon for future work, including maintenance, repairs
and renovations.

To learn more about this important topic, which constitutes one of the biggest challenges for facilities and construction organizations, order the whitepaper.