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The International Facility Management Association (IFMA), defines Computer Aided Facility Management (CAFM) as "A high-tech tool used by facility professionals to track and manage virtually any facility-related asset. Provides managers and decision makers with the ability to analyze the effective use of space more readily than ever." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia adds: CAFM systems provided the facility manager with the tools to track and report on facilities information. Typically, CAFM systems track and maintain:
Both resources emphasize the importance of space and floor plans in facility management in general and more specifically in CAFM. While CAFM applications have been used for more than two decades, the past few years have had a serious impact on the evolution of CAFM tools. While the age of information could be the explanation for this change, there are two specific variables that can be pinpointed to the evolution of CAFM. The evolvement of the Internet into all business disciplines was one of the most significant contributor to the rapid improvement in CAFM systems. This era introduced several new players in the CAFM industry and forced the older players to make necessary changes that will allow them to keep up with the new competition. Giving facility professionals the ability to interact with their facility data from anywhere at anytime introduced a whole new level of efficiency. The second CAFM evolution is attributed to the advancement the of new and improved graphical tools. These tools allow the systems to leverage the power of maps, floor plans, drawings and other images to easily show and interpret facility related information. SFW defines the combination of the web and graphical capabilities as Next Generation CAFM. |
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