BMS and CMMS, what is the difference?
Friday 25 march 2022
There are various CMMS software packages, but not all IT solutions for companies can manage maintenance.
BMS and CMMS, complementary software
Today, centralized digital management of a company has become commonplace. The applications are numerous. It allows the monitoring of buildings and installations or the control of certain equipment and systems. It is also possible to automate certain operating processes and manage all the company's data. Unfortunately, no software can claim to be able to do everything efficiently. This is where it becomes interesting to make systems collaborate with each other, like connecting a CMMS with its BMS. This way, it will be possible to get the best out of each software.
Building Management System (BMS)
Under the acronym BMS, we generally group together all the systems and software for monitoring and controlling a building or an infrastructure. We speak of BMS, or centralized technical management, in the case of multi-site facilities. For a private residence, we use the term domotics. Today, BMS tends to be part of a broader approach, the Building Information Modeling (BIM). It is the sharing of information throughout the life of a building, from its construction to its demolition, including its use. BIM is a great tool for sustainable construction.
But let's go back to the functionalities of BMS. Its purpose is to collect all the technical and energy information of a building. On the basis of this information, the BMS can control certain systems such as heating, air conditioning and lighting. It also manages security and access control data. On the other hand, if the BMS immediately detects any malfunction, it does not have the capacity to process the information for maintenance purposes. Data such as the schedule of interventions, the availability of spare parts, equipment diagrams or the repair process are unknowns for the BMS.
CMMS to the rescue of the BMS
When a malfunction occurs in a building or in technical installations, a quick and appropriate response is required. The maintenance teams can rely on the CMMS to immediately plan the operations necessary to return to normal. The system provides real-time scheduling of technicians, spare parts inventory, documentation and all the information needed for maintenance work.
Working together with different management software, it offers a complete and efficient solution. The monitoring and control system will share its data in real time with the intervention system. The CMMS will thus receive critical alerts, but also measured parameters likely to trigger preventive maintenance work. The icing on the cake is that the information will circulate without human intervention.
BMS + CMMS, the winning solution
A project to integrate different systems can seem extremely complex. This is true in some cases, but ultimately it depends on the CMMS software chosen. Yuman's solution does not require anything more than to receive the essential data collected by the many sensors and monitoring systems. We master the various processes to achieve a seamless integration of services.
If you want to know everything about CMMS, the following pages may be of interest to you:
- CMMS vs ERP, the match
- Open source CMMS
- Should we distinguish between Enterprise Asset Management and CMMS?
- CMMS beats Excel by KO
- Online CMMS
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