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FSI Celebrates 30 Years Of Global Innovation

FSI Celebrates 30 Years Of Global Innovation
03 February 2020 | Updated 04 February 2020
 

For 30 years, FSI has led the way in Computer-Aided Facilities Management (CAFM)/Integrated Workplace Management Systems (IWMS). The firm has evolved from the era of dial-up modems to grasp the 21st-century technology of mobile and the cloud. 

Now the company has celebrated its birthday with a new website and a new iteration of its global branding. The company's 'hand' logo has been refreshed – it is more dynamic and the colours of the fingers suggest the company has further reach and is more cosmopolitan than some people might know.

 

Commitment to users

 

Something the FSI team will not be changing in a hurry is their commitment to invest in FSI users. Says Compton Darlington, Business Development Director at FSI:

“We believe that client input should lead the solutions we develop. It’s fundamental for the people using our products every day to feed into the way they evolve. That’s why we have specialist groups that listen to the heartbeat of the industry, and champion what users really need to adapt to ever-changing workplace environments”.

– Compton Darlington

Business Development Director, FSI

Keeping the competitive edge

 

And of course, it is that ability to listen to customers that has ensured FSI has stayed at the top when it comes to producing the very best solutions for CAFM and IWFM. However, an ability to stay on top of technology in a changing world has also given FSI an edge over competitors in the indiustry. 

 

How things have changed

 

To illustrate just how much technology has changed – 1989 was the year the world wide web was invented by English scientist Tim Berners-Lee who then created the first web browser in 1990 – the year FSI was born. This was also a time when total facilities management was just emerging and so FSI got going by installing its first system for one of the world’s largest insurance companies. Can you believe that domestic and international implementation was serviced on the insurance company's sites through the painstaking process of installing multiple floppy disks on every computer? 

What started with 42k dial-up modems and 24-character limit pagers (the things you carried around to get messages on) has transformed into a global business with ground-breaking software development and over 200 employees worldwide.

 

Empowered by technology

 

Today, FSI is no longer limited by technology – it's empowered by it. The organisation's leading developers have shaped and innovated the product range to allow clients to harness data like never before. With 80 per cent of client work now undertaken remotely, FSI has very much grown up with the FM industry and the whole team are incredibly proud to have seen the role of CAFM/IWMS in businesses become so pivotal to everyday operations.

 

FM evolution

 

Many of FSI’s core team have witnessed the role of the facilities manager evolve over the years. What was once considered a ‘building basement’ career has transformed into a widely respected, technology-driven field. Buildings are now smarter, with thousands of moving parts and processes. There’s a much bigger emphasis on the wellbeing of building users. FSI understand how important it is to have intelligent technology and automation in place that supports FM professionals as they strive to keep their workplace environment running like clockwork. 

 

Way ahead on workflow

 

Automation itself has always been a driving force of FSI, as demonstrated by its introduction of Workflow in 2001. Workflow lets users represent business processes in a visual designer. Once mapped, the Workflow Engine turns diagrams into automated actions. One can see, that at a time when other industries were starting to explore automation, FSI was already at the forefront of streamlining previously complex workflows in a simple and innovative way – a huge leap forward for the FM industry.

 

Going mobile

 

FSI even brought out mobile app versions of its software in 2013, long before others in the market had considered it.

Compton Darlington says, “Looking back, the FM market wasn’t as ready as we were for mobile at the time. People were reluctant to adopt the app-based technology that today is vital to delivering effective FM management. We were able to foresee a shift in attitude and hone our offering ready for when the world was ready to embrace our product. In the business of technology, you always need to be a few steps ahead." Darlington continues:

"In a recent survey conducted by FSI, only 50% of FM professionals agreed they were using the most up-to-date technology. At a time when the artificial intelligence (AI) of Alexa is embedded into our home-life, there’s no reason for the workplace to get left behind. When companies are ready to take the leap, we will be there to accommodate them.” 

– Compton Darlington

Business Development Director, FSI

 

Staying strong

 

FSI has survived both the relentless demand of the industry and the skill shortages that have hit the tech industries – and the company even managed to pull off an amazing entire product redevelopment from hardware to a web-based application just as the 2008 recession hit.

The FSI team has made many noteworthy strides, embracing technologies such as IoT and BIM to deliver a next-level service to their FM clients. However, it doesn't stop there – the pace is relentless. Yet according to FSI's Business Strategy Director, it's just more exciting times ahead, with the next chapter set to be written with even more innovation in place. Bullard says: “At FSI, we’re looking to take the latest trends in technology and enable our clients to use their data to shape and deliver maintenance more effectively. If we can take what we've learnt from the collective task data we've amassed over the years to actually drive our clients’ systems and make predictions, we can help them become infinitely more agile, allow them to grow into new regions and markets, and create incredible cost-savings for their businesses.”

 

Looking ahead

 

The last 30 years have been full of growth and evolution for the global tech firm – but that's not where FSI is looking. FSI's eye, as always, is firmly on the next 30 years. 

 

To see FSI’s new website and keep up with the latest news from the UK headquartered global leader in CAFM & IWMS solutions – Click Here

 

Picture: The new, improved FSI global logo.

Article written by Brian Shillibeer | Published 03 February 2020

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