Within AltoSites we adopted a pragmatic approach to these challenges to minimise the draw on a manager’s time whilst providing significant benefits in terms of managing site infrastructure records, effectively providing something for nothing. Let’s look briefly at each in turn.
Among the challenges faced by facilities managers, site managers, bursars and school business managers responsible for looking after site infrastructure are how to:
- Maintain control of documention
- Search and access records quickly and efficiently
- Maintain backups of site data
Ideally these challenges should be met without incurring unnecessary overheads indirect costs or additional time.
Maintain control of site infrastructure records
AltoSites provides a means to quickly and easily store records on a secure system whether that’s Word, Excel, PDFs, Site or Floor plans etc.
Search and access records quickly and efficiently
- AltoSites enables you to define your own data which can be used for search purposes – saving time when it comes to searching for information in the future.
- Storing the physical records in a database enables you to do keyword text searches within documents e.g. find all assets with associated documents containing the words ‘gas isolation’.
- Locating records and documents on a map and/or site plan provides a clear visual context making them easier to see and understand.
- AltoSites exposes the valuable data in site and floor plans for use within a browser alongside all of your other asset and infrastructure site records. For example, switch layers of data on and off such as those related to gas, water and electrical utilities.
- You can define your own spatial search areas. This is more than searching for data relating to Building A, 2nd Floor, Room 5. It means providing the ability to create a polygon area on a site which could include multiple buildings or buildings and external estate and then retrieving assets and infrastructure site records within the bounding area.
- We provide a means to combine one or more of the above options for more advanced searches.
Maintain backups of site data
Routine backups of your PC’s documents directory or shared drives maybe being undertaken (are they ?!) but how often are the backups stored offsite for ease of access in a disaster or emergency? If you have a Site Disaster and Emergency plan is that easily accessible off site? AltoSites provides this by default through virtue of being cloud based – meaning that no extra effort is required on your part because as you use the system your data is implicitly being secured on the cloud.
Something for nothing?
Well, not quite, but not far off. Being able to manage your site’s data in the way described above helps you operationally and also ensures critical information is being securely stored offsite giving you additional benefits. This is important whether your site has tens or thousands of documents to manage.
Learn more about AltoSites or get in touch via our contact page.