S M A R T B U I L D I N G S

V E R D A N T I X . C O M

Product Benchmark: Space And

Workplace Management Software

(2019)

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Product Benchmark: Space And Workplace Management Software (2019)

This report provides real estate and facilities management executives with an updated analysis of the space and

workplace services providers (see Verdantix IWMS Benchmark: Space Management And Workplace Services).

The objective is to facilitate comparison between point solutions and the modules included in the broad-

ranging enterprise-scale solutions that tackle the same challenges. This report deepens some of the analysis

from the Verdantix benchmark on IWMS solutions published (see Verdantix Green Quadrant Integrated

Workplace Management Systems 2019). It also expands the scope by including specialist vendors who

submitted responses to the same assessment questionnaire as the IWMS vendors. Real estate and facilities

management executives, as well as heads of marketing and product development at software vendors, should

read this report to understand the breadth and depth of functionality across the market.

TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S

Product Benchmark: Space And Workplace Management Software (2019) ................................................................ 3

Assessment Criteria For Space Management And Workplace Services

Space Management Capabilities Are Becoming Commoditized With Lots Of Choice Across IWMS And Specialists

Vendors Are Tailoring Workplace Service Capabilities To Nudge Users Toward More Productive Behaviour

Multiple Vendors Have Developed Strong Capabilities To Measure And Impact Occupant Wellbeing

Customers Should Look For Solutions That Provide Rich Data And Extensive Service Capabilities .............10

TA B L E O F F I G U R E S

Figure 1. Space And Workplace Management Software Aggregated Scores ...................................................................... 4

Figure 2. Capabilities Scores For Space Management ................................................................................................................... 5

Figure 3. Capabilities Scores For Workplace Services .................................................................................................................... 7

Figure 4. Capabilities Scores For Wellbeing Analytics ................................................................................................................... 9

O R G A N I Z A T I O N S M E N T I O N E D

Accruent, Archibus, Axxerion, CADM, EMS Software, Eutech, FM:Systems, FSI, Hamilton Apps, IBM, iOFFICE,

Locatee, Mapiq, MRI, NFS Technology Group, Planon, Qube Global Software, Rapal, Rifiniti, Schneider Electric,

Serraview, Service Works Global, SmartSpace Software, SpaceIQ, Spacewell, Tango, Trimble, VLogic, zLink.

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Product Benchmark: Space And Workplace Management Software

(2019)

This report provides real estate and facilities management executives with an updated analysis of the space and

workplace services software market (see Verdantix IWMS Benchmark: Space Management And Workplace

Services). The objective is to facilitate comparison between point solutions and the modules included in the

broad-ranging enterprise-scale solutions that tackle the same challenges. This report deepens some of the

analysis from the Verdantix benchmark on IWMS solutions, and also expands the scope by including specialist

vendors who submitted responses to the same assessment questionnaire as the IWMS vendors.

Assessment Criteria For Space Management And Workplace Services

To help real estate and facilities decision-makers seeking software for space management, workplace services

and capabilities to support indoor occupant wellbeing, Verdantix:

• Defined the eight key assessment criteria for space management.

To assess the capabilities that IWMS and specialist vendors offer for space management, we identified

eight criteria: facility drawing tools, workplace assignment, space utilization data collection and

aggregation, meeting room performance analytics, space reporting and analytics, restacking and scenario

modelling, move management and industry-specific functionality.

• Established the seven key assessment criteria for workplace services.

To assess the capabilities that IWMS and specialist vendors offer for workplace services, we identified

seven criteria: room reservations, space reservations, smart locker booking, workplace wayfinding, visitor

management, event management and emergency management.

• Scoped out the seven key assessment criteria for occupant wellbeing and engagement.

To assess the capabilities that IWMS and specialist vendors offer for occupant wellbeing and

engagement, we identified seven criteria: building occupant feedback, building occupant control of

workplace smart assets such as lighting fixtures, location-based services, amenity booking services, virtual

personal assistants, measurement of factors physically impacting comfort (such as temperature and

humidity), and the ability to support certification for wellbeing standards such as WELL.

• Benchmarked the features and functionality of 15 IWMS and eight specialist vendors.

Verdantix based this benchmark on an analysis of the functionality of all IWMS vendors featured in the

2019 Green Quadrant. These included: Accruent (which acquired EMS Software), Archibus (now merged

with Serraview), FM:Systems (which acquired Rifiniti after the benchmark analysis concluded), FSI, IBM

(via its TRIRIGA solution), iOFFICE, MRI (which acquired Qube Global Software, which uses a white-

labelled version of CADM), Planon, Rapal, Service Works Global (SWG), Spacewell (which acquired

Axxerion), Tango, Trimble, VLogic and zLink. It also features analysis, alongside the IWMS vendor

capabilities, of the functionality of eight specialist solutions: Eutech, Hamilton Apps, Locatee, Mapiq, NFS

Technology Group, Schneider Electric, SmartSpace Software and SpaceIQ.

• Assessed the market players’ capabilities through a standardized benchmarking process.

This benchmarking required the vendors to complete an assessment questionnaire, disclose examples of

customers using their software for space, workplace and wellbeing services, and run a live product demo.

We scored each of the criteria outlined above on a 0 to 3 scale (with 0 meaning no functionality and 3

meaning best-in-class).

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F IGU RE 1

Space And Workplace Management Software Aggregated Scores

Source: Verdantix

Note: Verdantix rounded scores to one decimal place for presentational purposes.

Space Management Capabilities Are Becoming Commoditized With Lots Of

Choice Across IWMS And Specialists

Verdantix defined eight criteria for space management, seven for workplace services and seven for wellbeing

and engagement solutions. We then used these criteria to benchmark the fifteen vendors from the 2019 IWMS

Green Quadrant and eight specialist vendors. The Verdantix analysis of the space management functionality

finds that:

• The majority of vendors offer space monitoring capabilities highly suitable for most customer

needs.

One of the fundamental sources of value when using a space management tool is centralizing data on

occupancy or utilization trends to gain insights into how efficiently or otherwise an organization actually

1.4

1.4

1.4

1.5

1.5

1.5

1.6

1.6

1.6

1.7

1.7

1.7

1.7

1.8

1.8

1.8

1.8

1.9

1.9

1.9

1.9

1.9

2.0

zLink

Tango

MRI

VLogic

Locatee

Rapal

Hamilton Apps

Accruent

NFS

SWG

Eutech

Mapiq

IBM

Schneider Electric

FSI

Trimble

FM:Systems

Planon

Archibus

Spacewell

SpaceIQ

SmartSpace Software

iOFFICE

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F IGU RE 2

Capabilities Scores For Space Management

uses a property portfolio. No vendor in the analysis scored below a 1, indicating a high degree of

standardized offering that covers all the basics of space monitoring needs. Differences come in as both

IWMS and specialist vendors offer varying degrees of data capture capability. This can range from simply

tracking network sign-ins onto a web-based software solution, to measuring Wi-Fi usage of devices

within a building, to more hefty deployments involving data feeds from sensor networks under desks or

in meeting rooms, and integrations with HR as well as badge swipe systems. Customers have a wide

variety of vendors to chose from depending on what data they are willing to work with.

• IWMS vendors and specialist vendors both offer powerful analytic functionality.

The most basic functionality analyses allocation (of occupants assigned to a given site) versus capacity,

and then compares this to actual utilization (based on live data of room or seat usage, for instance).

Other key analytic functionality involves the identification of trends across multiple metrics, such as by

site, at the portfolio level or across different space types such as rooms or desks. All vendors offer some

Source: Verdantix

Note: Verdantix rounded scores to one decimal place for presentational purposes.

1.0

1.0

1.1

1.1

1.3

1.3

1.3

1.4

1.4

1.4

1.4

1.4

1.4

1.5

1.6

1.6

1.9

2.0

2.0

2.0

2.0

2.4

2.6

Eutech

NFS

FSI

MRI

Hamilton Apps

Schneider Electric

zLink

SWG

Tango

VLogic

Locatee

Mapiq

Accruent

IBM

iOFFICE

Spacewell

Archibus

Planon

Rapal

Trimble

SmartSpace Software

SpaceIQ

FM:Systems

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or most of the analytic capability outlined above; vendors such as Archibus, FM:Systems, Spacewell,

Trimble, Locatee and SpaceIQ excel across all these bases.

• IWMS vendors typically offer more comprehensive move management tools.

Initiating staff relocations, monitoring who is moving where and which assets must accompany such

moves is an integral part of any smart space management strategy. IWMS vendors have great depth of

functionality and integration with other modules on their platforms related to move management.

Indeed, the fifteen IWMS players averaged a score of 1.5, whilst the eight specialists averaged a score of

0.9. Vendors such as Archibus, FM:Systems, FSI, IBM, iOFFICE, Planon and Trimble offer functionality to

manage moves, whether for one employee or larger groups of employees, and the workflows that

facilitate this integrate with other modules to co-ordinate the move and estimate the cost of asset

relocation. Users can leverage work orders to handle post-move tasks and track progress via project

management capabilities. On the other hand, specialist vendors such as SpaceIQ are able to leverage

their open architectures to easily integrate with other systems so that, for example, an employee can

request a move from Slack or whatever in-house system they use.

• A few vendors have developed industry-specific space management capabilities.

For example, the SWG solution can capture and analyse data on: estates management statistics (EMS)

categories (detailing the activities occupants use a room for), room area (detailing the size); and full

economic costing (FEC) Grades (detailing the type of space, such as office or laboratory). UK healthcare

trusts impacted by the recommendations of the 2016 Carter review, with a target of ensuring there is no

more than 2.5% underused space in their portfolios by April 2020, can use the solution’s “what if”

scenario tools to achieve such a goal. The solution also supports users who wish to complete an Estates

Return Information Collection, using metrics such as service costs, used floor space as well as

maintenance costs.

• Minimizing the time to value via data capture inputs.

A key question for customers is how long capturing the initial round of data will take. Vendors offer a

variety of methods to speed up the time to value. SmartSpace Software, for example, offers a Software

Only Sensor, which connects to IP networks to detect occupancy without the need for deploying physical

sensors. For clients interested in mass sensor deployments, Schneider Electric’s Workplace Advisor

solution uses IP wireless sensors only to create an easily scalable solution that connects through the

building’s IT network. Two technicians can deploy up to 200 sensors in six hours, using the app to

commission it with reference to digitized floor plans. Alternatively, Spacewell’s approach to solution

deployment is to minimize touchpoints with the customer’s existing IT infrastructure to speed up

deployment and remove a barrier if the IT team is slow to get on board.

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F IGU RE 3

Capabilities Scores For Workplace Services

Vendors Are Tailoring Workplace Service Capabilities To Nudge Users Toward

More Productive Behaviour

The vendors proposing space management solutions in 2019 all offer similar core functionality, with varying

degrees of analytical functionality and management of the move process. A handful of vendors are focusing on

industry-specific workflows. How do the vendors compare when analysed by their ability to host and deliver

workplace services such as room bookings and wayfinding? The Verdantix analysis finds that:

• Buyers can build on their use of space monitoring technology to facilitate agile working

environments.

Most of the software vendors reviewed in this benchmark offer some capabilities to support agile offices.

FM:Systems, Planon, SpaceIQ, Spacewell and Trimble offer comprehensive solutions on this front. Users

Source: Verdantix

Note: Verdantix rounded scores to one decimal place for presentational purposes.

0.3

0.3

0.7

0.8

1.0

1.1

1.1

1.1

1.2

1.2

1.3

1.4

1.4

1.6

1.6

1.7

1.7

1.7

1.7

1.9

1.9

2.1

2.3

Tango

Locatee

VLogic

zLink

SWG

IBM

MRI

Rapal

FM:Systems

FSI

SpaceIQ

Planon

Eutech

Mapiq

Schneider Electric

Archibus

Spacewell

Trimble

NFS

SmartSpace Software

Accruent

Hamilton Apps

iOFFICE

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can leverage software to estimate the ratio of desks to staff on a given day, to ensure each staff member

will have a requisite workstation. Software, via mobile apps and digital kiosk interfaces, can then allow

these occupants to reserve free desks, book meeting rooms and find relevant colleagues. The software

can also help facility managers classify predefined spaces as neighbourhoods, which will appear on

digital maps when workplace occupants book spaces.

• Specialists match IWMS vendors on reservation technology capabilities.

Customers have a wide variety of choice when selecting a vendor to facilitate reservations. The average

specialist score for space (desk and open area) bookings is 1.8 compared to 1.7 for IWMS vendors. For

room reservations, specialists average 1.9 compared to 1.6 for IWMS vendors. The standout feature of a

space scheduling platform in 2019 is the ease with which occupants can reserve rooms according to

capacity, layout, location and availability, via multiple touch points and a user-friendly interface.

Moreover, the highest scoring vendors demonstrated how easily they can push data into meeting room

analytics modules, auto-release rooms in the event of no-shows and synchronize with Exchange and

other online scheduling systems.

• Specialists excel at providing comprehensive wayfinding and colleague search capabilities that can

enable greater productivity.

A common use case of space and workplace management software is wayfinding, whereby occupants use

the software via a mobile app or digital kiosk to navigate around unfamiliar, multi-floor buildings.

Specialists scored an average of 1.9 for this functionality, compared to 1.1 for IWMS vendors. A leading

solution on this front is Mapiq: they provide an indoor routing capability on its software interface that will

compute a route dynamically. It integrates with the 3D floor plans on the vendor’s platform to locate a

user’s exact location and finds the shortest route to a given destination, accounting for the latest changes

to a building’s layout. The platform complements this with an interactive, minimal click-to-action

colleague finder sidebar that users can access to identify the location of their colleagues (who only

disclose this on the system voluntarily) as they navigate around a new office, such as the Edge in

Amsterdam (see Verdantix OVG And Schneider Electric Herald The Evolution Of Smart Buildings).

• Vendors are extending the functionality of visitor management modules.

Visitor management is an increasingly important part of space and workplace solutions, as it enables

buyers to optimize the administrative process of checking visitors (particularly clients) onto a premise and

chaperoning them to their intended destination within a building. Hamilton Apps offers badge printing

and verification, integration with catering booking interfaces, integrations with Single Sign-On (SSO) and

Active Directory (AD), self-check in and verification, as well as security documentation such as NDA and

GDPR acknowledgements. Hamilton Apps also integrates its visitor management module with parking

management. One of its clients hosts close to 1,000 visitors at one of its campuses each day, with each

processed through the Hamilton Apps platform by just two reception staff. These visitors are issued with

individual e-mails , QR codes and printed badges, with notification sent to requisite host when a guest

arrive, which occurs roughly every ten seconds throughout a typical working day. Eutech integrates its

visitor management module with its meeting room and emergency management capabilities, and

ensures new visitors pass through an induction on building health and safety guidelines before it permits

access to the site.

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F IGU RE 4

Capabilities Scores For Wellbeing Analytics

Multiple Vendors Have Developed Strong Capabilities To Measure And Impact

Occupant Wellbeing

The most impactful workplace services for customer needs are booking capabilities that find near perfect

matches to user criteria, tools such as wayfinding to cut down on the time it takes to reach desired destinations

and visitor management. How do the vendors deliver insights geared to supporting occupant wellbeing?

Verdantix finds that vendors with the most sophisticated functionality:

• Provide user-friendly interfaces for incorporating the voice of the occupant into building

operations management.

Space and workplace management solutions offer buyers tools to capture occupant feedback via

webpages, mobile apps and interactive screen interfaces. The most common feedback forms available are

Source: Verdantix

Note: Verdantix rounded scores to one decimal place for presentational purposes.

0.0

0.4

0.4

0.4

0.5

0.5

0.9

0.9

0.9

1.0

1.1

1.1

1.1

1.3

1.3

1.3

1.4

1.4

1.4

1.4

1.6

1.7

2.1

VLogic

MRI

Locatee

NFS

Tango

zLink

SmartSpace Software

Accruent

Trimble

Eutech

IBM

FM:Systems

SpaceIQ

Hamilton Apps

Mapiq

SWG

Archibus

Planon

Rapal

Schneider Electric

Spacewell

iOFFICE

FSI

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for reporting health and safety issues or suggesting the need for a maintenance work order. Most IWMS

and specialist vendors offered some means to capture occupant feedback. Those that scored highest

included options for users to register issues as well as preferences (via online survey template

questionnaires) and the ability to aggregate feedback on charts and dashboards. Moreover, top scoring

vendors offered highly user-friendly and interactive interfaces. FSI offers a comprehensive mobile app

where most user needs can be met via its chatlog. Planon’s platform lets users know if other occupants

have already made the request they sent, such as reporting an equipment fault.

• Offer comprehensive analytics to understand the environmental metrics that impact occupant

comfort.

Platforms that can draw on multiple data feeds into the environmental condition of the properties they

support, and create clear insights for facility managers to act on, scored highly. Environmental data feeds

into Planon’s DataLake, for instance, which enables users to set up their own perimeters and graphical

outputs via the self-service business intelligence tools. Meanwhile Archibus, Spacewell and new entrant

Schneider Electric support sensor-sourced data on humidity, CO2 and temperature that triggers

automated alerts or rule-driven work requests according to pre-set quality parameters.

Customers Should Look For Solutions That Provide Rich Data And

Extensive Service Capabilities

What should be the key take-aways for customers reviewing this benchmark? Verdantix finds that the key

elements to watch out for when drawing up a shortlist of software vendors are:

• Balance between simplicity of use and ability to handle complex processes.

Ease of deployment and interfaces with fewer clicks to action may not always satisfy all customer needs.

Mature solutions can often support more complex processes. For instance, Verdantix heard from a global

consulting services firm that had initially considered a latest-generation solution with a sleek interface for

their meeting room scheduling. Ultimately, however, they chose a solution that had been on the market

for many years as the provider could more easily configure this older solution to fit the client's business

processes.

• Choice between platforms or ecosystems of integrated solutions.

IWMS vendors specialize in covering most aspects of real estate portfolio management – such as energy,

lease, maintenance, property and space management – within a single platform. This means their

platforms offer deep functionality for overlaying multiple data streams, such as attaching a monetary

value to the cost of space by location, tables highlighting property leases that are approaching renewal

and a prioritized list of maintenance issues across a portfolio. Serraview (now merged with Archibus)

offers a dashboard where users can view the total cost of their portfolio as well as the opportunity cost of

the underutilized space, incentivizing them to find further efficiencies and cut down on waste. On the

other hand, some vendors have designed solutions with new, open architectures that can easily integrate

with other solutions. There is no single correct answer and choices will depend on which IT strategy the

customer pursues.

• Extent of the partner networks to quickly address all customer needs.

Specialist solutions address buyers’ needs to integrate software for their multiple real estate

management processes by developing extensive partnership ecosystems. Mapiq, SmartSpace Software

and SpaceIQ, for instance, all integrate with other vendors, including building management system

providers, to facilitate multiple features of a smart office, such as room systems, facilities management

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platforms, location-tracking platforms, sensor network providers and audio visual as well as locker

control systems.

• Ability to deliver accurate insights at minimal cost.

FM:Systems’ Rifiniti solution can calculate the utilization of a building through an analysis of data from

Wi-Fi access points, badge swipe systems and other sources with ninety per cent accuracy. Whilst most

space management software solutions now integrate with these sources, some vendors struggle to

harmonize these different data sets and provide a single view into space utilization. The Rifiniti solution

also offers rich insights into the number of staff that are mostly deskbound, internally mobile, externally

mobile or remote. Locatee’s platform enables users to view a heat map with a time lapse that shows the

utilization of a floor throughout a day or week, to identify how occupants move around an office. Such

capabilities support architects when designing fresh office layouts for refurbishments or reveal chronically

underutilized buildings that an organization can release from the portfolio (see Verdantix The Business

Case For Space And Workplace Management Software).

• Provides sophisticated tools to model the outcome of decisions for use of space.

One of the most value-adding capabilities of space management software is restacking. This enables

users to experiment with different configurations of seating plans and portfolio sizes, to generate

scenarios that show how changing the number of buildings and moving staff could affect operating

costs. SpaceIQ’s stacking module, for instance, allows customers to test different scenarios via drag-and-

drop. SpaceIQ also features forecasting capabilities – via an interactive dashboard and reports that show

current space allocations and utilization levels – for users that wish to expand their portfolios. The unique

selling point of FM:Systems’ Rifiniti restacking algorithm solution, provided as a consulting service, is that

it helps firms organize office space according to employee roles and behaviours (where they are going,

what they are doing and where they spend their time), to offer a richer scenario modelling tool.

• Buyers can rely on vendors to support wider business objectives such as client management.

Specialists that go a step further with their workplace services, such as car parking management and

visitor management, can support customer attempts to provide the best experience for clients visiting

their properties. Hamilton Apps, for instance, has options to include tabs where users can access catering,

wellbeing activities such as massages, on-site fitness facilities and concierge services such as cleaning,

which integrates with its automated visitor management processes, to account for every need a visitor

may have when visiting a business partner’s buildings.

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