Autodesk Acquires FMDesktop

[Wanderer]

well, well, well.... lookie what they bought here...

seems adesk has acquired FMDesktop... I might get an FM forum on this site after all.

so, there have been some hints at AU the past two years that autodesk is finally going to pay some attention to the Facilities Management market, I guess this is a pretty good sign.

[jakespeare]

Kind of makes me wonder how this might affect all the various 3rd party apps that sit on top of AutoCAD...

[Wanderer]

Kind of makes me wonder how this might affect all the various 3rd party apps that sit on top of AutoCAD...

~nods~ I'm curious about that as well... there are a few products out there...

I'm just theorizing here... since FM people tend to be pretty insular (I don't know too many)... some facilities have been using some products for years, but, there are plenty of others that don't... whether because of lack of resources, trepidation about learning new software and finding employees who know how to use it, waiting for product maturation, etc... I'm going to assume that many facilities currently using autodesk software will make the leap from plain autocad (or whatever they are using) to a CAFM system since autodesk is the one releasing it.

here is a discussion on the FM forum at adesk discussion groups, about where FMdesktop will fit in at autodesk. a couple of guys from the BSD were kind enough to chime into the discussion and answer my questions.

[jakespeare]

I don't know if 'insular' would be the right word to describe facilities management people. I've been to a couple of IFMA meetings in my area, there were quite a few people at them. I think its more a matter of the fact that many FM people are either too busy coping with antiquated (yet familiar, and by extension comfortable) systems to have a chance to do sufficient research into finding a CAFM system which will work for them, or they lack the necessary skills to step back from their department and take a bigger look at the overall business picture of their organization and 'sell' the value of improving their system to their management in business terms rather than the technical nuts and bolts benefits of which they are more familiar with.

I also think that your assumption about companies using AutoCAD products will likely migrate towards an Autodesk FM software package is correct, more because it is familiar than because of the benefits.
I'm going to have to do some looking into FM desktop, I'm curious as to how easy it would be to link to other enterprise systems like SAP, PeopleSoft, Oralce, etc.

[Wanderer]

lol... I say that primarily because when I went to AU this year (great FM track for the first time ever), I tried striking up conversations with other FM'ers and it always sort of fell flat... not that I'm the most sociable person, but, man! are we fm'ers reticent!

the overall big picture of the organization is a factor in everything... a facility that has been around awhile has certain ideas and methodologies entrenched in each department... what's commonly referred to as 'information kingdoms'... I think for my own facility, that is the even bigger roadblock than learning new software.
yep, the 'comfortable' factor weighs heavily in our field.

I don't know if 'insular' would be the right word to describe facilities management people. I've been to a couple of IFMA meetings in my area, there were quite a few people at them. I think its more a matter of the fact that many FM people are either too busy coping with antiquated (yet familiar, and by extension comfortable) systems to have a chance to do sufficient research into finding a CAFM system which will work for them, or they lack the necessary skills to step back from their department and take a bigger look at the overall business picture of their organization and 'sell' the value of improving their system to their management in business terms rather than the technical nuts and bolts benefits of which they are more familiar with.

I also think that your assumption about companies using AutoCAD products will likely migrate towards an Autodesk FM software package is correct, more because it is familiar than because of the benefits.
I'm going to have to do some looking into FM desktop, I'm curious as to how easy it would be to link to other enterprise systems like SAP, PeopleSoft, Oracle, etc.

[jakespeare]

...the overall big picture of the organization is a factor in everything... a facility that has been around awhile has certain ideas and methodologies entrenched in each department... what's commonly referred to as 'information kingdoms'... I think for my own facility, that is the even bigger roadblock than learning new software.
yep, the 'comfortable' factor weighs heavily in our field.

I think of them more as 'information fiefdoms', sounds more oppressive.

I find it rather odd that so many people seem to be that insecure about their jobs (or themselves) that they feel that the only way to function and 'get ahead' is to etch out their own fiefdoms and road block, or at the very least thoroughly red tape, the flow of information to and from their zones of responsibility. To use a metaphor, that type of mentality creates a brontosaurus as it would be designed by a committee composed of lawyers and NASA engineers, big, slow, expensive and complex.

Which is why the idea of linking 'information fiefdoms' appeals to me, databases don't throw red tape at you just because of office politics. Let IT, HR, and Finance use the systems they need to do their job, but link those to a FM system which automatically updates a CAFM system (along with the appropriate CAD files) when they update, and which updates their systems when the CAFM system is updated.

*gets off soap box and slides it back under desk*

[Wanderer]

LOL... you certainly have a way with words.

it's not really so much that people want to create a road block... it's that they are close-minded. They like the way they've been doing things, and don't have enough imagination to see the benefits in changing those procedures. Or, they think, 'I've spent so much time and effort gathering this information, and this other department wants to come and use it! The nerve!'
Each of these departments have different supervisors, then managers, then directors, who have their own budgets, which are jealously guarded (we may have a steady budget, but, it tends to be small).

I can't imagine how much work we must be duplicating in each fiefdom.
For many reasons people are resisting the pooling of resources and centralization of information.

~shrug~
meh. I don't bother putting the soapbox back... strains my back pulling it out 15 times a day.

Makes my job... well... like this

I think of them more as 'information fiefdoms', sounds more oppressive.

I find it rather odd that so many people seem to be that insecure about their jobs (or themselves) that they feel that the only way to function and 'get ahead' is to etch out their own fiefdoms and road block, or at the very least thoroughly red tape, the flow of information to and from their zones of responsibility. To use a metaphor, that type of mentality creates a brontosaurus as it would be designed by a committee composed of lawyers and NASA engineers, big, slow, expensive and complex.

Which is why the idea of linking 'information fiefdoms' appeals to me, databases don't throw red tape at you just because of office politics. Let IT, HR, and Finance use the systems they need to do their job, but link those to a FM system which automatically updates a CAFM system (along with the appropriate CAD files) when they update, and which updates their systems when the CAFM system is updated.

*gets off soap box and slides it back under desk*

[jakespeare]

...They like the way they've been doing things, and don't have enough imagination to see the benefits in changing those procedures. Or, they think, 'I've spent so much time and effort...

*cringes* I'm affraid I've been guilty of this myself, though in a completely different context, I'm a third generation snow skiier, I've been skiing since I was 5. When I was thirteen or so I tried that snowboarding fad exactly three times... in those three days, I managed to get as good on a snowboard as i was after 8 years of skiing... so what did I do? I stuck with skiing of course! Why? because dang it, I've invested so much into it already, and I'm just getting good enough doing what I've already done that it 'really' isn't so much work any more... besides, snowboarding is just a fad, its not even in the olympics... And I'm ashamed to admit that to this day, my DAD has more interest in snowboarding than I do...

Back to the point, I can understand the not being willling to change from the old and comfortable, though I don't personally agree that it makes good business sense.

I can't imagine how much work we must be duplicating in each fiefdom.

Really? I can, just spend a day or so doing everything twice. Its a 'fantastic' way to increase your workload without increasing production. I think its called 'job security' in some places...

[Wanderer]

Back to the point, I can understand the not being willling to change from the old and comfortable, though I don't personally agree that it makes good business sense.

Really? I can, just spend a day or so doing everything twice. Its a 'fantastic' way to increase your workload without increasing production. I think its called 'job security' in some places...

no, it doesn't.

LMAO... oh, yes, but, I've got enough job security already...

oh, and let's just think... I'm doing it twice, and telecomm is doing it twice, and information systems is probably doing it three times (high turnover, you know), and realty, and construction, and possibly security and environmental health... we've got the added fun of being part of a 'corporate' entity as well... so, I work for the hospital along with realty and environmental health, but, the other departments are actually corporate, further dividing us, and spreading their focus from our campus out to all of the outlying places...

sorry, just babbling and ranting now... hehehe...

boy am I glad I left this soapbox out

[jakespeare]

*decides to cut soap box in half and strap one part to each foot to save prep time for furture uses*