Why Disconnected Systems are Costing You Millions and Creating the "FM Agility Gap"

In modern facilities management, data is the new utility. Yet, our latest research confirms that for the vast majority of UK FM leaders, this utility is flowing through broken, disconnected pipes.

The truth is stark: You can't manage what you can't see, and right now, most FM leaders have a tragically fractured view.

Our comprehensive independent survey, which forms the core of The 2026 UK Facilities Market Report: Overcoming Staff Shortages & Quality Gaps with Technology report, reveals the scale of the challenge:

The Shocking Reality of System Fragmentation

An overwhelming 94% of FM teams rely on multiple, fragmented systems to handle their day-to-day operations. Think about that number. Almost every single facilities organisation is juggling disparate Computer-Aided Facilities Management (CAFM) platforms, IoT sensor networks, accounting software, communications tools, and various proprietary applications.

This isn't a matter of technological sophistication; it’s a structural barrier. This fragmentation isn't merely an inconvenience, it’s the number one source of operational inefficiency for a massive 76% of FM leaders.

The result is what we call the "FM Agility Gap": the chasm between the speed at which your business needs to react and the speed your disconnected systems allow.

The True Cost of Fragmentation: Beyond the Spreadsheet

When systems don't talk to each other, your people become the manual bridge. This friction costs your organisation in hard, quantifiable ways:

• Wasted Time & Productivity Loss: Valuable staff time is wasted manually transferring data, reconciling conflicting reports, and trying to manually bridge gaps between CAFM, IoT, and other systems. This is time your skilled engineers and managers should be spending on preventative maintenance, strategic planning, or client engagement.
• Increased Data Errors and Compliance Risk: Every manual data transfer is an opportunity for human error. These communication breakdowns and data errors can lead to incorrect maintenance being performed, missed compliance deadlines, and ultimately, regulatory risk.
• Misallocation of Talent: High-value, experienced staff are continually bogged down in low-value administrative friction. Your team’s expertise is being used to fight the system, not improve the service.

The Barrier to Progress: The Integration Roadblock

FM leaders want to be more agile. They understand the need for digital transformation. However, they are wary of being sold yet another siloed solution.

Critically, 32% of survey respondents cite "Integration with existing systems" as the single biggest barrier to adopting any new technology.

This tells us two crucial things:

1. The Industry is Not Looking for Forklift Upgrades: Leaders are not interested in ripping out and replacing their entire established infrastructure. They know that’s too costly, too disruptive, and often unnecessary.
2. The Demand is for Interoperability: They are looking for an "integration-first" approach, solutions that can seamlessly connect with and enhance their current technology investments, acting as a central orchestration layer.

The Path to Unification: A Holistic View for the Future

The challenge isn't about eliminating systems; it's about making them communicate intelligently. The path to breaking down these walls and closing the Agility Gap is through a unified, integration-first platform. This is how you turn data silos into a holistic, real-time operational view, enabling faster problem resolution and dramatically improved communication, the two top-ranked benefits of a unified system according to our research.

Are you ready to stop letting your disconnected systems dictate your pace? Discover the insights from our market research report to help you inform your 2026 strategy. [Download the full report]

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