Why choose an integrated solution over point solutions?

It can be challenging for numerous businesses to select an IT strategy that includes the ideal software solution(s) for securing their real estate and facility management for the foreseeable future. The deployment of a single integrated solution, such as IWMS, or a “best-of-breed strategy,” which combines one or more point solutions, are two popular choices. In this blog, I’ll talk about the differences between these two options and ask a crucial question:

is it still necessary to choose one over the other in this day and age? The use of supportive software solutions for real estate and facility management is now widely accepted and common practice due to the need for operational excellence and the growing emphasis on measurable business value. The themes of transparency in the portfolio, control, processing efficiency, cost reduction, organizational agility, customer value, and compliance typically serve as the foundation for the business case for these software solutions. However, the fact that some software implementations do not produce the expected outcomes demonstrates that many organizations have struggled to select the appropriate software solution. Gaps between expectations and reality, underestimating the effort required during implementation and change management, and unexpected complexity in IT technology and operations are all common causes of failure. What distinguishes the two? Unfortunately, neither does the landscape of vendors. IWMS, CAFM, CMMS, FMIS, Service Management Software, Asset Management Software, or any other label helps a lot of local vendors successfully market their products and offer a lot of different software solutions. But what really sets these software solutions apart? The typology of a solution—a point solution or an integrated solution—is one significant distinction between them. Let me briefly discuss this by pointing out their advantages and disadvantages. The White Papers lights held by hands to symbolize significant concepts Why choose a point solution over an integrated one? When building your IT landscape for real estate and facility management, you no longer have to choose between integrated solutions and point solutions. Find out more about how IWMS and cutting-edge PropTech solutions can work together. Find out more Point Solution: advantages and disadvantages Most Point Solutions are created to solve a single business issue. Point Solutions are leaders in their particular function because of their focus and specialization. Room booking software, helpdesk software, space management software, and maintenance planning software are all examples of Point Solutions. The software only addresses one business issue, which is both its strength and its weakness. Multiple Point Solutions must be chosen and implemented to solve multiple problems. These Point Solutions must share common data, implying complexity, risk, and the possibility of inconsistency. The integrated solution’s advantages and disadvantages Integrated Solutions are made to solve multiple FM and RE business problems from a single database-based software solution. You can purchase and implement a single software solution with an integrated solution, which ensures that data is stored consistently and only once, supports automatic connections between processes, and makes reporting across these processes easier. In real estate management, space and workplace management, asset and maintenance management, integrated services management, and sustainability, an integrated solution typically supports multiple processes. When compared to a point solution, the implementation of an integrated solution is definitely more extensive, and data exchange between processes is avoided. Is it really up to you to choose? You now have a better understanding of the differences between an integrated solution and a point solution. However, how can you construct the IT landscape for your real estate and facility management using this information? Five years ago, the advice was to either embed a number of point solutions that collectively addressed all requirements in the best possible way or cover as many functional requirements as possible with one integrated software solution. It’s time to look at things differently right now. The real estate industry is experiencing a significant influx of numerous technological advancements, which is referred to as PropTech. They are a significant step toward the digitization of buildings and provide highly specialized functionality for each business issue, enhancing the user experience and making deployment and replacement simpler. As a result, our approach is shifting from one of either/or to one of both/and, with point solutions being seen as complements to integrated solutions. Implementing an IWMS as an open application platform with a seamless connection to PropTech is your starting point in this new vision for future-proofing your real estate and facility management. The fundamental ability of an IWMS to deploy and integrate the new technologies and possibilities related to the processes it supports is a crucial prerequisite. An IWMS platform serves as the “single pane of glass” through which real estate and facility management professionals manage their businesses when positioned in this manner. With a single source of truth that includes data from all necessary specialized applications and local building technology, it provides solutions that are applicable to the entire organization and ensures data quality and consistency. In that case, point solutions and integrated solutions might work well together.