Thursday, August 6, 2009

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.

1 comment:

  1. Dave,

    interesting subject. On http://www.iwmsnews.com/2009/06/debate-is-cafm-still-the-strongest-acronym-to-describe-an-integrated-fm-solution/ we have addressed the subject. Some very interesting opinions have been put forward.

    I would love to hear your opinion.

    Yours Sincerely,


    Steven Hanks
    CEO IWMSnews.com

    ReplyDelete