The Transformation of Conventional Facility Management
As buildings become more digital, connected, and occupant-centric, facility management (FM) is experiencing one of its most significant transformations in decades. Frost & Sullivan’s latest Growth Webinar, Leveraging Data-driven Facility Management to Redefine the Future of Occupant Experience, brought together industry experts to explore how data, collaboration, and integrated services are reshaping performance, efficiency, and occupant experiences.
From breaking down data silos and creating shared platforms to unlocking opportunities in emerging regions, the discussion provided actionable insights for FM leaders aiming to build smarter, more resilient service models.
Unlock Growth Perspectives from Homes & Buildings Experts
Watch the recorded webinar to explore transformative megatrends and strategies in the FM industry.
Meet the Panelists
The following panelists shared their perspectives on how FM is evolving into integrated, data-driven ecosystems:
- Melvin Leong – Growth Expert and Senior Director, Homes & Buildings at Frost & Sullivan
- Janice Wung – Growth Expert and Industry Principal, Homes & Buildings at Frost & Sullivan
- Key Challenges in Unifying FM Stakeholders
The webinar began by highlighting the following growth barriers that prevent FM stakeholders from working together effectively, along with strategies to thwart them:
- Data Silos: Building owners, service providers, and suppliers use different systems, creating fragmented insights and limited visibility.
- Misaligned Priorities: Suppliers focus on cost, FM providers aim for efficiency, and tenants prioritize comfort, causing friction across the ecosystem.
- Trust and Governance Issues: Questions around data ownership, usage, and privacy, especially for occupant information, slow collaboration.
These challenges are pushing providers to rethink collaboration strategies and invest in integrated, data-driven facility management solutions.
Which growth strategies and partnerships will help your organization overcome these barriers?
- Megatrends Reshaping the Facility Management Landscape
The following developments are redefining FM:
- Hybrid Work and the Future of Work: Creating flexible, collaborative, and adaptable workplaces that meet employee and tenant needs.
- User Experience and Outcome-focused Solutions: Improving productivity, well-being, and overall occupant comfort beyond traditional building maintenance.
- Decarbonization and Net-zero Goals: Advancing sustainability by achieving carbon targets and delivering energy-efficient buildings.
- Technology-enabled Services: Enabling data-driven decisions and optimizing operations through Internet of Things (IoT), smart building technologies, and digital platforms.
Is your organization ready to turn these megatrends into tangible growth opportunities?
- Five Strategic Actions to Build a Data-driven FM Ecosystem
To thrive amid this evolving ecosystem, the webinar identified five strategic actions that FM players can adopt:
- Platform-based FM Ecosystem: Creating integrated digital platforms where suppliers, service providers, and end users collaborate in real time.
- Outcome-as-a-Service Models: Shifting from selling services to delivering measurable outcomes such as energy savings, improved indoor air quality, or occupant comfort.
- Cross-industry Innovation Hubs: Partnering with real estate, energy, and IT to deliver innovative solutions, such as smart workspaces that monitor air quality and adjust lighting for employee well-being.
- Open Data Standards: Ensuring interoperability across system-energy management, security, space management, so that data can drive efficiency and smarter decision-making.
- Smart Partnerships: Collaborating with IoT vendors, sustainability consultants, and other partners to deliver integrated solutions like net-zero building strategies.
Which of these actions is your organization prioritizing to stay ahead in the evolving FM ecosystem?
If you missed the live session, here is a chance to catch up on the on-demand webinar.
- Evolving FM Operations in a Digital-first World
FM is undergoing a major transformation—shifting from traditional maintenance roles to strategic, technology-enabled functions that elevate performance, sustainability, and occupant experience. This evolution is reflected in three key shifts:
- From Operations to Digital Interpretation: FM teams are now leveraging IoT sensors, analytics platforms, and AI to predict failures, optimize energy use, and make informed decisions.
- From Service Providers to Experience Designers: FM is enhancing occupant comfort and productivity through adaptive technologies such as smart lighting and climate control.
- From Tactical Partners to Sustainability Enablers: Providers are collaborating with tech firms, energy consultants, and wellness experts to drive decarbonization and deliver measurable outcomes.
This evolution expands the FM ecosystem to include IT, sustainability, and healthcare players, making FM more collaborative, tech-savvy, and outcome-focused than ever.
How is your FM team evolving to deliver technology-driven, outcome-focused services?
- FM Ecosystem Collaboration: Elevating Occupant Experience
Cross-functional collaboration between FM teams, technology providers, wellness experts, and sustainability partners is driving real-time improvements and long-term value for occupants. The webinar highlighted best practices through a real-world example:
- Sodexo’s Workplace Experience Index: At its London headquarters, Sodexo collaborated with the International WELL Building Institute and SHAPE Global to integrate data on lighting, air quality, food services, and employee feedback.
- Immediate Measurable Impact: Employee satisfaction increased to 4.8 out of 5 within just two weeks, demonstrating the power of data-driven collaboration.
Do you have the right tools to benchmark performance and collaborate with innovators transforming FM operations?
- Growth Opportunities for FM Players in Emerging Regions
Rapid urbanization, infrastructure expansion, and new building developments are creating significant opportunities for FM ecosystem players. Key areas to focus on include:
- Smart Building Adoption: Introducing IoT-enabled building management systems from the start, to avoid costly retrofits and deliver energy efficiency and occupant comfort from day one.
- Sustainability Leadership: Offering energy performance contracting and active energy management services to meet green building standards, reduce costs, and ensure compliance.
- Collaboration and Partnerships: Working with tech vendors, sustainability experts, and developers to build scalable, cost-effective solutions and leverage open data standards for interoperability.
Which of these opportunities will deliver the biggest impact for your organization?
What’s Next: FM as a Strategic Growth Lever
This evolution will distinguish organizations that see FM as a back-office function from those that position it as a strategic orchestrator of value. For leadership teams, the challenge lies in integrating sustainable practices, driving operational efficiency, and fostering innovation across the ecosystem, while ensuring data security and regulatory compliance, which is shared across FM teams, IT, proptech providers, and building owners.
Click here to connect with Frost & Sullivan’s Homes & Buildings experts for tailored strategies and best practices to build a future-ready FM ecosystem.
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