Make CAFM, field teams and building systems easier to support
Facilities management depends on service requests, asset records, maintenance schedules, engineer updates and information from client buildings. Stratiis helps FM organisations across Scotland coordinate the business IT, access, data and specialist suppliers behind those workflows.
What is CAFM and building system co-ordination?
CAFM stands for computer-aided facilities management. CAFM and building system co-ordination maps how service desks, asset and maintenance records, mobile work orders and approved building data connect. It also assigns an owner to each application, device, integration, network and vendor escalation route. Stratiis can support agreed business IT and shared infrastructure, while BMS, access control, CCTV, HVAC and safety-critical building systems remain with the client or specialist provider unless separately scoped.
Clear ownership supports dependable contract delivery
When a job, asset record or building alert cannot reach the right person, teams need to know where the fault sits and who can resolve it.
Fewer hand-off gaps
Route faults between the service desk, IT team, CAFM vendor and building specialist with named owners.
Useful asset records
Keep locations, equipment, jobs and evidence connected to an agreed source of truth.
Secure field access
Help engineers and contractors use approved devices and information at client sites.
Planned continuity
Define how critical services and data return after an application or connection outage.
Which facilities management systems should be connected?
The right map follows a service request from first contact through assignment, site work, evidence, reporting and billing.
| System area | Typical workflow | Dependencies to record |
|---|---|---|
| CAFM and asset register | Locations, assets, planned maintenance, defects and work orders. | Application owner, data model, user roles, hosting, backup and vendor. |
| Service desk and customer portal | Requests, prioritisation, updates and client reporting. | Identity, notification routes, integrations, support hours and data ownership. |
| Mobile workforce platform | Engineer schedules, job details, forms, photos and completion evidence. | Device management, mobile coverage, offline behaviour and access removal. |
| Contract and finance systems | Suppliers, procurement, approvals, invoicing and performance reporting. | Master data, interfaces, permissions, retention and recovery. |
| Building systems | BMS, access control, CCTV, HVAC, sensors and alarms. | Client and specialist ownership, approved data feeds, network boundaries and change control. |
Not every building system needs a direct integration. The business case, client approval and supplier responsibilities should be clear before data or network connections are added.
Who supports CAFM, BMS and the systems between them?
Document responsibilities before an incident or a contract mobilisation puts them under pressure.
| Area | Potential Stratiis role | Client or specialist role |
|---|---|---|
| Accounts and devices | Support agreed identities, laptops, tablets, mobiles and security policies. | Approve job roles, client access and CAFM-specific permissions. |
| Shared IT and connectivity | Manage agreed cloud, server, network, Wi-Fi, internet and backup components. | Approve building network requirements, site access and interfaces. |
| CAFM application | Support the underlying IT, help isolate faults and coordinate vendor escalation. | Own configuration, workflows, application fixes and data definitions. |
| Building systems | Document boundaries and assist only within an explicitly agreed scope. | Own BMS, access control, CCTV, HVAC, life-safety controls and approved changes. |
| Incident and recovery | Coordinate restoration of agreed IT components and communication between suppliers. | Prioritise service impact and authorise operational or safety-related work. |
Does Stratiis manage building management systems?
Stratiis can support agreed business IT, secure access, site connectivity and shared infrastructure around a BMS, and coordinate with the building-system specialist. BMS logic, plant operation, access control, CCTV, HVAC and safety-critical changes require the client or appointed specialist unless a separate support scope is agreed.
Give field teams reliable access without losing control
An engineer needs the current work order, building details and a way to submit evidence. The access plan should account for shared client sites, lost devices, changing contractors and patchy mobile coverage.
Managed devices
Use approved configuration, encryption, application access and a process for enrolment, replacement and remote wipe.
Field and hybrid working
Connect office coordinators, mobile engineers and managers through secure collaboration and suitable workflows.
Identity and sharing
Assign named access to the right contract and building information, then review it when roles or contracts change.
Plan each connection around the building and contract
Before connecting a CAFM platform, gateway or field device to a client environment, agree ownership, security controls, availability and the support route.
Managed site network
Document which devices need access and keep business, guest and building-system traffic separated where required.
Multiple locations
Use consistent identities and support records across contracts while respecting each client’s site rules.
Connection failure
Decide whether a backup path, offline job process or alternative contact route is needed for each critical workflow.
Protect the full service workflow, not just the application
CAFM availability may depend on identities, mobile devices, notifications, an integration, a database and a client connection. Recovery should restore the complete route from request to engineer update and client report.
| Question | Why it matters | Useful evidence |
|---|---|---|
| What is authoritative? | Asset records, job status and building references may be duplicated across systems. | Named data owners, source systems and integration map. |
| What is backed up? | Cloud applications, files, databases and device data can have different coverage. | Documented scope, exclusions, retention and restore owner. |
| What returns first? | Service desk, urgent work orders, engineer access and client updates have different impacts. | Recovery priorities, objectives and workarounds. |
| Has recovery been tested? | A successful backup job does not prove the entire workflow can resume. | Test results, supplier involvement and corrective actions. |
These dependencies can be addressed through cloud, backup and disaster recovery and cybersecurity services, with the scope agreed for each client and platform.
Build a practical CAFM and building systems plan
A short discovery exercise should give contract leaders, IT and specialist suppliers a usable ownership map.
Map
List contracts, sites, workflows, systems, data feeds and devices.
Assign
Name the FM, client, IT and specialist owner for each dependency.
Prioritise
Address access gaps, fragile integrations, unsupported assets and recovery risks.
Improve
Update the map as contracts mobilise, buildings change and suppliers rotate.
Wider change can be delivered through projects and digital transformation, with priorities tracked through vCIO services.
Support the wider facilities management technology estate
CAFM is more dependable when the devices, connections and support processes around it are clear.
Facilities Management IT
See the wider approach to service desks, field teams, client sites, cybersecurity and resilience.
Managed IT services
Helpdesk, monitoring, devices, networks and supplier coordination within an agreed scope.
Co-managed IT
Specialist capacity alongside an internal technology team.
Business connectivity
Internet, site networks and resilience for distributed operations.
CAFM and building system co-ordination explained
What does CAFM stand for?
CAFM means computer-aided facilities management. It refers to software used to organise facilities information and work, such as assets, service requests, planned maintenance and reporting.
How is CAFM different from a building management system?
CAFM organises facilities work and records. A building management system monitors or controls building equipment. They may exchange approved information, but they have different owners, security needs and support responsibilities.
Can Stratiis fix a CAFM or BMS outage?
Stratiis can diagnose and support agreed IT components and coordinate with the application or building-system supplier. Product-specific faults and operational changes remain with the relevant specialist unless included in a separate scope.
Who should own a CAFM integration with a client building?
The FM organisation and client should approve the business purpose, data and access. The CAFM and building-system specialists should own their respective product changes, while IT supports the agreed connection and security controls.
How should contractors access building and asset information?
Use named, approved access limited to the contract and role, with suitable authentication and a process to remove access when work ends. The client must approve any access to its building environment.
What happens if an engineer loses mobile connectivity?
Identify which jobs can be completed with an approved offline workflow, how updates are reconciled and how urgent issues are escalated. The process should reflect the actual coverage at each site.
What should an FM company back up?
Review the critical data and configuration behind service requests, asset records, maintenance evidence, documents and reporting. Confirm what the CAFM vendor protects, what the FM business owns and how a full workflow is restored.
How do we start a CAFM and building systems review?
Start with one or two important contracts. Map the request-to-completion workflow, systems, data, devices, site connections and suppliers, then agree responsibilities and the highest-impact improvements.
Discuss your CAFM and building systems
We can help map business IT dependencies, clarify specialist ownership and improve access and recovery across client sites.
