It seems that almost everyone in facilities  management has access to the Internet.  New Web sites spring up each day offering products and services from A to Z.  There are plenty of ways to spend your money and take advantage of professed “huge savings” over the Internet.

There are some distinct advantages, however, for those professionals that utilize the Web for business activity other than just purchasing merchandise.  Bill Gates may have said it best:  “Though at heart most business problems are information problems, almost no one is using information well.  The most meaningful way to differentiate your company from your competition... is to do an outstanding job with information.”

The Internet presents us with an opportunity to better manage information about our assets. 

Using an Internet accessible secure database allows for a central depository of information by all parties involved whether they be consultants, contractors or in-house personnel.

Using an Internet accessible secure database allows for a central depository of information by all parties involved whether they be consultants, contractors or in-house personnel. 

Also, depending on the level of sophistication of the database, the owner has the ability to manage the money resources they invest in their roofs.

Roof Asset Management

Roof asset management is now a vital part    of the overall responsibility of facility managers.  The systems that are employed are becoming more sophisticated and expensive.  Changes in roof warranty stipulations over the past 5-10 years have made it more incumbent on the owner to provide information on inspections, maintenance and warranty - related documentation.  More importantly,  when we look at roof asset values, the importance of documentation and tracking information is even more evident. 

For example, let us assume a portfolio of 10 million square feet of roof area. The asset value of the portfolio over 15 years can exceed $75 million!  Your potential financial exposure can be over $5 million a year.  Without timely and accurate information, you can’t manage the money or the asset.  And you can’t manage what you don’t know.

Roof management database programs have become a hot item over the past few years among multi-facility owners in order to easily retrieve and maintain information on their roof systems.  However, owners are finding out that database systems for roof asset management are only as good as the service programs that ensure their continuous operation and real-time information updating.

Traditional Database Software Packages

There are many types of facility management software packages available for purchase. Costs run from $100 to thousands of dollars.  These packages are “electronic filing cabinets” for storing information, but most stop short of being able to sort the information in a results-oriented way.

Several problems arise with these basic, off-the-shelf packages.  First, these packages are typically designed in such a way that an uninformed lay person can enter information.  Thus the information tends to be rather generic.

Second, it is up to the owner to maintain the records and update files daily, weekly, and monthly.  That normally involves a sizeable staff of people, depending on the size and number of facilities.

Third, most of the databases available are not built for transmitting data through the Internet.  In order for the information to be easily accessible and shared through your region or the country, you will probably need to set up an Intranet system, buy multiple licenses and invest in programming to effectively and efficiently share the information with your staff.  This will also require personnel to maintain the system. 

Even with this software, you are still likely to be working within a program that has a rigid structure that may not be able to conform to your specific needs.  Although using this approach to manage data is much better than the old fashioned paper-trail and file-cabinet approach, the overall costs of managing the system and the time commitment is quite high.  Many facility management professionals have found a better way - the Internet.

Information Management Via The Internet

Roof information accessed via the Internet can be a powerful and inexpensive resource for managing roof assets once a database program is set up.  This isn’t a database program that can be built by novices in the roof consulting and information management field.  It takes experienced professionals in roof management, along with extensive planning and programming to create an effective database tool that gets you the information you need, quickly and efficiently.   However, after you have an established database program, the cost of utilizing the Web is simply the monthly cost of your Internet service provider.

Your professional roof consultant’s information, your roofing contractor’s information and your internal staff’s information can be imported by each responsible party and stored in the database.  It can then be accessed online with a password by many people simultaneously, thus reducing the time commitment of your staff.

Using remote programs expands the capabilities of your staff as well.  It allows you to gather data remotely and download it into the database later.  Other advantages to managing roof asset information via the Internet includes:

-   Continuous flow of and access to real-time information

-   Quick and easy access to an efficiently designed database

-   Lower administrative costs as a result of less faxing, long distance calls, overnight packages, copying and staff time

-   Simplified communication between you and your staff

-   Informative reports regarding changes and updates via e-mail

-   Faster responses to existing or potential problems

-   Compatible with all operating system environments (e.g., Windows, Unix, Linex and MAC OS)

-   Not affected by the program being used (i.e., Microsoft Word, Word Perfect, Lotus Word Pro and Excel)

-   No connectivity problems

-   Enhanced ability to communicate and manage information

-   Faster access to information from vendors

Although savings can be created through an Internet-accessible database operation, it takes a professional management approach and a strong financial management program to effectively reduce costs and liabilities within a roof management program.  Through information management and various methods of financial planning, you can become an effective manager of your roof assets, and you will have more time to concentrate on core priorities and special projects.  But the real bottom line is that you will be better at controlling costs, systems and contractors, and have a single, reliable resource of information that gives you the ability to move toward predictive management.

Implementing and managing a fail-safe roof asset management program is no trivial matter.  Missed service visits or missing information needed to plan appropriately can result in costly premature roof failures.  Thus, database systems that can be operated directly over the speed of the Internet without having to constantly copy over information to all other users is the key to real-time roof management.