Global Corporate Survey 2020: Smart Building Technology Budgets, Priorities & Preferences

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Executive Summary

This report helps real estate and facility directors and heads benchmark their firms’ smart building technology strategies, investment plans and priorities over the next 12 months. It also aids smart building product vendors and service providers align their business and product plans with market demand and emerging areas of interest. The data was gathered via 250 telephone interviews conducted with executives at firms from 18 industries and most major economies from July to September 2020. The survey highlights that COVID-19 is driving firms to reprioritize their facilities management strategies with talent retention and employee safety new focal areas. In the near-term firms are planning targeted new investments in remote collaboration, employee health monitoring technology and IoT-enabled space monitoring. Over the next two years, digital twin simulations and edge computing will continue to garner interest amongst executives. 
 

Interviewing Real Estate Executives For Smart Building Priorities 
Annual Global Survey Of 250 Real Estate Occupiers

Firms Are Resetting Their Real Estate Priorities Amidst COVID-19 And The Economic Downturn 
Attracting And Retaining A Talented Workforce Is The New Priority Amongst Corporate Executives
Real Estate Strategies Will Focus On Improving Workplace Safety And Enabling Remote Working In The Next 12 Months

Near-Term Technology Investment Plans Centre Around COVID-19 Management And Cost Control
COVID-19 Is Driving Targeted New Investments In Remote Collaboration And Employee Health Monitoring Technology
Energy Data Analytics And Employee Move Management Lead Commercial Software Investment Plans
Firms Plan To Extend Deployments Of Workplace Software And IoT Infrastructure In 2021
Facilities Executives Anticipate Advanced Analytics, Digital Twins And Edge Infrastructure Will Be Significant In The Future

Figure 1. Geographical Location Of Interviewees 
Figure 2. Industry Categories Of Firms Surveyed 
Figure 3. Real Estate Strategic Objectives Over The Next Three Years 
Figure 4. Market Trends Shaping Real Estate Strategies Over The Next Three Years 
Figure 5. Real Estate Executives’ Priority Initiatives For The Next 12 Months  
Figure 6. COVID-19 Technology Investment Plans  
Figure 7. Software Investment By Real Estate And Facilities Management Process
Figure 8. Software Investment Plans By Type Of Software  
Figure 9. Smart Building Technologies Expenditure Changes For 2021 
Figure 10. Smart Building Hardware Deployments  
Figure 11. Significance Of Seven Digital Innovations For Real Estate Management In The Next Two Years 

About the Authors

Dayann Charles

Dayann Charles

Manager, Advisory Services

Dayann is a Manager in the Verdantix Advisory Services team. He has led a wide variety of consulting projects across all the Verdantix practices, with a particular focus on ES…

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Susan Clarke

Susan Clarke

Research Director

Susan leads the Verdantix Smart Buildings practice. Her current research agenda focuses on software solutions for real estate management including integrated workplace managem…

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