With the variety of building-related software out there and more popping up almost daily, do you find yourself wondering which one would be the best for your facility? Or, maybe you’ve done some research already and you’ve narrowed down the choices to a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) or a building management system (BMS), and now you’re wondering which one to deploy. We’ve got good news for you.
Below, we present to you a concise appraisal of both resources. After reading this, it will be easy to understand what both of these tools can do for you.
The Basics
Let’s start by clearing any confusion regarding what they both do.
A Building Management System (BMS) is a computerized control system that is designed to control and monitor the mechanical and electrical equipment in buildings. The equipment includes the lighting, power systems, fire fighting systems, ventilation, and security systems.
A Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) is designed for managing the maintenance tasks covering all the systems mentioned above and more. Its core strength is that it offers building managers complete control over available resources and workflow management for the maintenance unit. Using CMMS enables the safest and most efficient operation of any building.
CMMS and BMS: Similarities and Differences
From the above explanation, it’s clear that both systems are unique. However, both are valuable resources for building management with each one featuring some similar functionalities of the other.
With a BMS, building managers can easily understand how the major power-consuming systems in their facilities are operating based on the data being generated. It empowers them to control and adjust all connected systems to optimize their performance and help save energy.
In addition, BMS allows easy report generation, visualization of data, and it creates alerts to notify its users when established parameters in equipment are exceeded and failure is imminent.
Interestingly, a best-in-breed CMMS also allows its users to visualize the status of power-consuming systems (HVAC, lighting, etc.), but it does not control them directly. CMMS is a repository of all the information about a building’s maintenance operations and history. Therefore, it’s invaluable for generating a variety of reports and it provides a holistic solution for maintenance planning, for tracking maintenance workflow, and managing inventory.
Furthermore, some CMMS can be configured with predictive and condition monitoring capabilities to create equipment-failure warning alerts.
Integrating CMMS and BMS
BMS can be integrated with CMMS to provide superior performance monitoring and maintenance management. By doing this, you are in the best position to get the most efficient maintenance resources for your buildings.
That said, when deciding which brand of software to choose, it’s advisable to study details such as terms and conditions, rates, plans, capabilities, technology, support and more. In the case of CMMS, for instance, there are several choices in the market, so it may be tricky to decide which one offers the most benefits for your business.
As a rule of thumb, flexibility and scalability are key criteria for selecting a CMMS because maintenance requirements will typically differ slightly from one organization to the other. Fortunately, Axxerion offers you all the features that will complement and support your business growth such as:
- Work Order Management (WO)
- Mobile-enabled Capability
- Preventive Maintenance Planning (PM)
- Spare Parts Inventory Management
- Asset Management
- Report Generation
- Easy Integration with Other Units (e.g. HR/Payroll/Accounting)
- Cloud-based Support
- Condition-based and Predictive Maintenance Capability
- Project Management (PPM)
- Enterprise Asset Management (EAM)
- Quality Control
- Vendor Management
In Conclusion
Building maintenance costs money, but it doesn’t have to be unnecessarily stressful and wasteful as well. Choosing the right management systems could save your company significant revenue every year by optimizing asset and facility efficiency through technology. Request a demo today and get to see what we can do for you.
