Corporate Real Estate, Smart Campuses, and Immersive On-Site Experiences

How modern technology is bridging the gap between CRE roles and the smart campus of the future.

Corporate real estate professionals have their work cut out for them in today’s modern workplace landscape. They are responsible for managing their facilitie’s impact of day to day operations from the buildings all the way down to the people. Yes, the people that are the heart of any good organization. 

Real estate and facilities have a direct impact on workplace productivity, a number one challenge. They are continually dedicated to analyzing and optimizing property-related needs, as a result of business growth, expansion or contraction. They are perhaps more beholden to creating sustainable and effective environments that impact the performance and progress of their organization.

That’s precisely where the idea of an immersive on-site experience comes into play. CRE professionals are looking at digital transformation initiatives across different solutions to help increase the physical and digital footprint of their real estate portfolio. 

I believe creating a smart, connected campus from facilities and property standpoint begins with incorporating real-time, flexible, and on-the-go touchpoints into any work environment to mirror the demands of today’s workforce. Just like the things we want as consumers, we also want in our personal and professional lives. Smart, contextual, and in-the-moment fulfillment. 

Today’s Market Has Changed the Focus of CRE

Historically, corporate real estate (CRE) programs existed to manage the life cycle of properties and holdings, beginning with site location and on to other aspects such as building design, acquisition, disposition, and in most cases, leasing versus owning company properties.

Because of how our world has shifted considerably to focus on digital, connected experiences in both the business and consumer markets it’s effectively changed the way CRE programs work. In the connected, and fast-paced modern world, CRE has a much larger focus on workplace strategies and workplace management. In other words, there’s much more of an emphasis placed on efficiency and cost-effectiveness for any portfolio. It’s not just about what you have, but what you do with it.

Thanks to technology a lot of the nuances of property management can be handled with digital touchpoints or live services, which is a strategy currently utilized by many “smart campuses” across the country.

A lot of this can be understood by reviewing the current setup of corporate campuses. Many organizations are being forced to upgrade property management technologies to better serve the employees, customers, visitors etc. 

Upcoming Real Estate Trends That Planners Must Heed

CRE professionals and planners must acknowledge and account for some of the more prominent trends if they want to stay ahead in corporate real estate. Those prominent trends include:

• Location Services: Many corporate real estate facilities reside on expansive campuses that stretch across multiple floors or even buildings. New employees, visitors, and customers for example are better served with wayfinding technology that provides real-time location services to find places, people, and things across the campus. Effective sensor placement creates an ecosystem of property-specific information.
• BYOD: Increasingly, employees are allowed to bring their preferred devices into the workplace which leads to increased productivity. In turn, your company’s real estate needs to have an infrastructure in place to support all of these devices and workstyles. Properties must also be conducive to new and growing trends related to our ‘devices’, like multiple platforms (Android vs iOS), WiFi, 5G and other forms of mobile connectivity. 
• IoT: More connected devices are popping up in everyday functions. IoT-enabled sensors and technologies create smarter, more efficient and insightful properties. For IoT to truly work in enterprise settings, the devices must remain connected to the space indefinitely, while, in turn, the people using the network remain synced with their devices.
• Usage Data: A core function of CRE is to be able to have deeper insight into how spaces are being used, conference room utilization, where resources are located, and how each of these impact overall productivity and ROI. When devices, computers, and systems are connected to each other, you get more in-depth property analysis. 

You’ll notice right away that these trends are meant to organize and facilitate the use of corporate spaces. That is because the design and function of work environments must evolve in ways that take advantage of human capacity. Not only that, but they must also optimize the management of resource consumption on company property.

Interactive Digital Experiences In the Workplace

The integration of data, design, technology, and behavioral science allows corporate real estate managers to deliver more value to their employees and on-site visitors. This is realized in several ways, particularly through modern applications and curated software ecosystems. 

Many of the opportunities that smart, connected and mobile-friendly technologies offer are becoming more and more necessary, just to keep up with the demands of today’s world. 

CXApp and CRE

Equipping CRE professionals with the tools and technology to increase retention and operating income has become a competitive differentiator. 

That’s why the CXApp for Campus, leveraging Aruba Meridian location services, IoT, and the power of mobile delivers workplace management technology that transforms venue communications and onsite experiences for a smart campus. 

For more insights and trends, get the CXApp whitepaper: The Connected Campus

A central hub powered by a mobile, Saas-based platform, that accounts for these trends creates a connected environment that gives CRE professionals insightful information about their property/portfolio(s) that can help them scale across global operations. 

The future of most workspaces will be powered by a convergence between property management, resource allocation and digital services that improve the workplace experience. Perhaps more telling is the fact that it’s all driven by modern mobile platforms and enhanced with immersive on-site experiences.

See what we’re doing around creating a Smart Campus here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhaS5oKBwf0&t=2s

Reach out with your thoughts and ideas around the future of work!

For more info check out thecxapp.com/campus