ARCHIBUS, Inc. (www.archibus.com), the #1 developer of real estate, infrastructure, and facilities management software in the world, announces the latest release of its ARCHIBUS® software suite.
The release, ARCHIBUS V.21.1, is leveraging the third generation of mobile technology − hybrid mobile. Embedded inside ARCHIBUS, the Mobile Framework provides the platform to rapidly introduce a new breed of customer-responsive mobile apps. It features a preliminary set of mobile applications for space, asset, and maintenance management, initially running on mobile platforms such as Apple iOS™ and Google Android™, and available free of charge on the Apple Store and Google Play. A future mobile release will support Blackberry® and Windows®8 operating systems.
In addition, enhancements to ARCHIBUS Web Central provide a simpler, next generation user interface and forms design, compatibility with Windows 8, Internet Explorer 10, and WebLogic 12c; and enhancements to a range of ARCHIBUS applications that automate more tasks and streamline workflows.
The release also includes the latest Smart Client Extension for AutoCAD, as well as user and system management Help features that increase productivity.
“ARCHIBUS V.21.1 reflects the needs of technology-forward real estate and facilities managers who are increasingly relying on mobility solutions to run many aspects of their organizations more efficiently,” said ARCHIBUS President Bruce K. Forbes. “The streamlined look and feel of the user interface and other enhancements make ARCHIBUS features and functions more approachable to a larger group of users within an organization, which can improve overall information sharing and service delivery.”
ARCHIBUS 3rd Generation Hybrid Mobile Framework that Goes the Distance
ARCHIBUS Mobile technology has evolved through three distinct generations. The firstgeneration used a syncing process with technologies like Palm OS that required customized development to suit customer needs. The vendor-centric technologies of the second generation required that customer apps be redesigned and recoded separately for each mobile platform, such as Windows CE or Blackberry. Now ARCHIBUS is leveraging the third generation − hybrid technology − to deliver a new breed of customer-responsive mobile apps, which can be configured only once and then delivered simultaneously to different mobile platforms and devices, without compromising security or device control.
The ARCHIBUS Mobile Framework also provides a wide range of features that developers and users alike can use to personalize the ARCHIBUS apps, as well as to quickly and easily create their own apps.
“Because of the proven ARCHIBUS platform, and the addition of a robust Mobile Framework, we expect hundreds of new mobile-based apps to be written by the ARCHIBUS Community and Eco-System in the next 18 months,” says Forbes. “As the Apple App Store exploded, so do we expect the Mobile apps to explode in our world of TIFM and IWMS.”
The ARCHIBUS Mobile Framework supports iOS and Android platforms, along with mobile, browser-based access for the current versions of Apple Safari™ and Google Chrome™. The ARCHIBUS Framework currently includes: Space Book, Maintenance, and Asset & Equipment Survey Mobile Apps. They all connect a full range of workflow processes directly to the ARCHIBUS enterprise repository. These applications deliver both live and semi-connected access to ARCHIBUS, ensuring proper validation of field-submitted data and adherence to centrally defined business rules and workflows.
More Auto-Complete and Simplified Forms Features
ARCHIBUS V.21.1 also provides a time-saving, auto-complete feature in all edit forms and most filter fields. By typing in a validated field, ARCHIBUS generates a drop-down list of possible values to choose.
On-screen grids have also been given a simpler look with headers and footers that no longer scroll so that they are always visible even if data is too long for the screen. In addition, form layouts have been simplified to give them a cleaner look even for complex forms; on-screen report layouts have also been streamlined.
ARCHIBUS has also updated its Flash-based drawing controls, adding a click-drag-release action for quick panning, windowed selection for quickly assigning entire groups of rooms or assets, as well as support for new types of forms.
Enhanced Platform and Applications
In addition to new mobility applications and a simplified user interface, ARCHIBUS supports WebLogic 12c, Internet Explorer 10, and Windows 8 Desktop environments.
ARCHIBUS Help and System Management Help features are now delivered from the latest, online version of ARCHIBUS Help systems and take advantage of HTML5 for a more modern look.
More features and greater functionality have also been included in such applications as Preventive Maintenance, Asset Management, Environmental Health & Safety, Energy Management, Cost Administration, and Portfolio Management.
Lastly, ARCHIBUS V.21 also supports a wide variety of personalization features to tailor the system and individual applications to user needs.
About ARCHIBUS, Inc.
ARCHIBUS is the #1 global provider of real estate, infrastructure, and facilities management solutions with the total annual expenditures for ARCHIBUS-related products and services valued at over $2.2 Billion (USD). For more than 30 years, ARCHIBUS innovations have fostered business transformation that saves users’ organizations over $100 billion annually.
With ARCHIBUS, organizations can use a single, comprehensive, integrated solution to make informed strategic decisions that optimize return-on-investment, lower asset lifecycle costs, and increase enterprise-wide productivity and profitability. ARCHIBUS is the world-wide proponent for the creation of ubiquitous environmental sustainability and intuitive business transformation (IBT) initiatives. ARCHIBUS has dominated the global real estate, infrastructure and facilities management automation market with a market share of over 94%.
More than 7,000,000 ARCHIBUS enterprise and Web users collectively manage over 15,000,000 buildings and properties, with organizations reporting facilities-related cost savings as high as 34%. With over 1,600 ARCHIBUS Business Partners, local and regional support worldwide is available in over 190 countries and in more than 30 languages. Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, ARCHIBUS, Inc. has pioneered computer-aided infrastructure and facilities management technologies since 1982. For more information, visit www.archibus.com
