Facilities Maintenance (FM), Information Technology (IT), and Operational Technology (OT) teams have common ground: the management of valuable assets. Despite this seemingly shared responsibility, they usually operate in disparate systems with distinct workflows. But is there an opportunity for organizations to effectively manage all assets under a unified approach? Read on to learn how organizations can make the best operational decisions by understanding the nuances between asset management systems. Facilities Maintenance often involves the use of computer systems to coordinate people, maintenance, repairs, and operations to ensure the functionality, safety, comfort, and efficiency of buildings and their infrastructure. FM is found within any organization that owns or leases a building. FM is also found within any organization that uses a piece of equipment to generate revenue. Organizations leverage FM to ensure they get the most out of their assets and that it operates smoothly enough to not affect other business operations. Information Technology teams use computer systems to manage, monitor, process, and protect how information is exchanged in an organization. It also includes managing many different types of software and hardware that employees and the business use. Operational Technology includes various devices that monitor and control physical processes, devices, and infrastructure that generate revenue. They are usually connected to the network and can be vulnerable to security breaches. Most companies don’t have a dedicated team or system to manage the health and safety of these devices. Information vs. Production IT systems, unlike FM and OT, primarily focus on information. Their success hinges on the secure storage, sharing, and processing of data and information. Think about your organization’s email, instant messaging, finance, HR, cloud storage, and many other applications that are used every day. Issues or metrics in IT focus on the secure exchange and storage of information across these applications. Teams use IT Asset Management (ITAM) solutions to reduce shadow tech and vulnerabilities, ensure license compliance, and mitigate the risk of lost assets, helping protect an organization’s data and information. On the other hand, FM and OT focus on the production and usage of assets. These assets directly or indirectly impact revenue, ranging from manufacturing equipment to office buildings. FM metrics center on uptime and downtime, machine hours, and failure rates. Within FM, there are many software systems. CMMS manages the maintenance of assets digitally, rather than on paper. IWMS manages not only assets, but real estate, space, and capital projects. EAM takes a step back and tracks the entire lifecycle of an organization’s assets and is especially helpful when government regulations are involved in maintenance of assets. In many cases, these facilities also have network-connected devices, but they often do not have a dedicated OT team or system to manage them. Instead, any incident is managed by IT, facilities, or a combination of the two. While all types of assets need to be secure, the specific systems need to differ. Facilities solutions need to ensure operational continuity, OT solutions should focus on minimizing production risk, and IT solutions focus on protecting information. It is rare to find a solution that does all well. Security vs. Performance The most critical responsibility for IT is information security. By controlling user access, securing data storage, training employees on best practices for security, and being consistent in software updates, IT teams can protect the business from compromising the information it holds. In rare and complete system failures, such as a successful ransomware attack, companies’ revenue and reputation—among other consequences—can be impacted. The most critical responsibility for FM and OT is performance. If there is a failure, the business can suffer huge losses of revenue—and in some cases, people can be injured or killed. By performing the best maintenance practices using FM and OT solutions, a business can ensure that their production is consistent without failure. Assets: Short-Term vs. Long-Term IT assets are typically off-the-shelf hardware with a 3-to-5-year lifespan. The assets, like laptops, tablets, and mobile devices, have many software updates that are easy to maintain. If there are excessive issues with an asset, it is often cheaper to replace the device rather than fix it. The devices are also in controllable environments, like office buildings, which limit the risk of a device malfunctioning or being stolen. More expensive assets, such as servers in data centers, are placed in highly controlled environments and are typically the only long-term assets that IT is responsible for. Conversely, FM and OT assets are long-term assets that are typically purpose-built or customized for the unique needs of an organization. These assets are often expensive and expected to operate constantly for 10+ years, making regular maintenance more strategic than short-term assets. Additionally, these assets may be housed in harsh environments (think HVAC systems on roofs), where constant and accurate monitoring is required to reduce the risk of downtime. Incident Management IT issues are often diagnosed and resolved remotely by an IT team anywhere in the world using simple service ticketing workflows. These incidents generally have little impact on the business. While rare, more serious incidents, such as ransomware attacks, may disrupt operations and require specialized skills beyond those used for routine IT support. Facility incidents can range from simple spills to complex disruptions involving multiple teams. An effective FM solution needs to be flexible and able to manage both. Extensive coordination can lead to prolonged downtime, which, in turn, can have a large impact on the business, forfeiting revenue. A system that specifically accounts for enterprise assets can handle these incidents with ease, keeping all aspects of the repair organized and limiting the downtime of the asset. Unlike IT incidents, OT issues often require specialized expertise that may not be available within IT teams. An asset-centric solution can help bridge this gap and ensure efficient incident resolution. Conclusion Given the distinct nature of IT, FM, and OT, their respective priorities, workflows, stakeholders, and management approaches are not interchangeable. A customized ITAM solution will never be as effective at FM or OT as a true FM and OT solution, and vis versa. The assets they are responsible for require very different workflows and management strategies. Nuvolo, with its deep expertise in FM and OT, offers purpose-built solutions tailored to help organizations handle asset management and maintenance efficiently right out of the box. Learn more about Nuvolo’s facilities maintenance and operational technology expertise. Share
