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Do you know of any groups that have a chief technical officer for the facility management (FM) organization? This person would provide high level input on new IT developments and tell us how we could best use them.

Roy Allen
Director, Business Services, FM
University of Texas
M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, TX
rallen@mdanderson.org

James Elledge replies ...

Some organizations may be slowly evolving to the functional organization I call DIMWITS—Department of Infrastructure Management, Wiring, Intelligent Technology, and Security (yes, DIMWITS).

As buildings become more intelligent (through the use of automated building systems), security is physical as well as cyber, and the workforce becomes more mobile. Consequently, the assimilation of FM and IT may make more sense. Budget money may also be easier to justify with this “hybrid” department

Thanks for your question

Jim Elledge

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