Businesses are right to be thinking beyond recovery

This year Governments will be under pressure to introduce credible carbon reduction policies instead of just long-term commitments, as attention shifts from the COVID crisis towards the COP26 climate conference in November. The Biden administration is giving the issue new momentum globally.

But to be credible these policies will need to make a measurable difference in the real world, and soon. That may be through tougher regulation on waste; through international trade policies that take account of carbon footprints; through taxation that rewards energy efficiency; or through targeted investment.

So, while businesses are right to be focusing on their plans for recovery, they should also be looking at how to prepare for the coming shift towards more sustainable economic models that could look very different to the ones we are used to.

What does this mean for security and facilities managers?

Across sectors from hospitality and mixed-use developments to critical infrastructure, increasingly we are seeing how customers are choosing to target their budgets in a way that streamlines systems and delivers operational efficiency. They are switching away from siloed technologies to more powerful integrated solutions that can deliver not just better security and more manageable operations, but greater control over all aspects of their operations.

These next generation solutions are unlocking exciting potential from those old security and BMS technologies. Previously, when siloed, they had a single purpose and did one job; now integrated, they can do so much more.

What’s the key to their new value? Data.

For the first time, truly granular information about how premises are used – by individuals, teams and entire workforces – has the power to drive corporate decision making.

It can help to answer questions such as: how much physical space does the organisation need to operate efficiently? How is that space best heated, cooled and serviced? How much permanent desk space is needed compared with hotdesking provision? And how many meeting areas and other facilities, from toilets to parking spaces?

Estimates can still be made based on past experience and future approximations but

those questions can only be answered confidently if FMs have accurate data about building use and occupancy, built up over weeks and months. And with rapid changes in working practices increasingly to be expected organisations will also find value in being able to see what’s happening in real time, day to day.

That can now happen, and is happening, as traditional security technologies such as access control and video, are being integrated and transformed. Whereas up until recently access control was focused only on security, and the need to keep unauthorised people out, the newest generation of visitor management solutions have broader horizons. By unlocking the power of data, they are making positive contributions to everything from business efficiency to customer relations.

They are allowing a more efficient welcome to premises by automatically sending visitors up-to-date information before arrival, and by giving them access – via QR codes – to all the facilities they are authorised to use, from parking spaces to IT networks.

These new and more powerful visitor management solutions integrate with corporate systems including Microsoft’s Active Directory and Outlook.

And, linked fully to wider corporate structures for the first time, they can deliver efficiency benefits to every department.

This brings us back to where we started, to how budgets are being targeted towards operations streamlining. If handled properly, using today’s modular approach, this doesn’t have to be complex or expensive.

Off-the-shelf solutions make it easier than ever for those old siloed systems to be managed, controlled, and interrogated through single, unified interfaces. The former – easier management – reduces pressure on security and FM teams and makes operations more efficient. The latter – interrogation – makes use of tools such as heatmapping and occupancy monitoring to help demonstrate the true patterns of building use.

By revealing those long-term trends, the peaks and troughs of activity, the new integrated solutions are allowing businesses to refine their operations and drive cost efficiencies.

And this will put them in a better place to succeed as governments focus on energy efficiency – whether that’s avoiding the penalties for waste, or taking advantage of the incentives and premiums that will be offered to the best performers.