Almost half (48%) of Facilities Managers (FMs) are missing out on the benefits of digital transformation by not adopting new technology, recent research by Mitie shows
The recent report, Digital Transformation: Is Facilities Management Ready? reveals that just 7% of FMs say they are constantly seeking to identify, trial and implement new technology solutions to stay ahead of the curve.
The report also revealed that security and access control is one of the areas most likely to be highly impacted by digital transformation.
Respondents believed digitally-enabled remote monitoring and remote guarding offer clear cost efficiencies, as well as a more agile response to incidents.
Almost one in ten (8%) say they are not interested in deploying new technology, with almost a third (32%) saying they will only use mature or proven technology.
Around a third of respondents (31%) reported ‘lack of internal expertise to select suitable facilities management solutions’ or a ‘lack of understanding of digital transformation technologies’ (27%) as the top barriers to investing in digital transformation.
When asked whether they agreed that facilities management will have undergone extensive digital transformation by the year 2030, four-fifths of respondents (80%) strongly or mostly agreed with this. With over a third (35%) stating that cost efficiency is the most important factor shaping service delivery today, any technology will need to prove return on investment.
Three in ten (30%) also cited ‘lack of staff expertise to run facility efficiency projects’ and a ‘lack of staff bandwidth to analyse and act on data’ (28%) as the top barriers to realising business value from it.
To help address these issues, Mitie has invested in technology. The insights gained from these technologies and centres of expertise allow Mitie to offer customers an increased level of flexibility and control, bringing the benefits of digital transformation to their services.
Jason Towse, managing director, Business Services, Mitie, said: “The research clearly shows that the digital transformation of the security sector will be central to delivering increased productivity and cost savings to the whole facilities management industry.
“Embracing technology not only improves efficiency but is also key for organisations to stay ahead in the fight against ever-more sophisticated criminal activity.
“It’s gratifying to see that nearly all those asked were already making progress in digitising their security operations, and we hope that this report will help others benchmark themselves against their peers and understand the wider opportunities that digital transformation can bring.”
