Leading UAE-based total facilities management (FM) company Farnek, has signed an agreement with Google to roll out their cloud based solution (Google Apps) among more than 3500 employees.

As a part of the contract, Farnek will be the first FM company in the UAE to utilise the technology, said a statement from the company.

The online facility will benefit Farnek and its customers, by optimising its operational efficiency, introducing online learning, improving health and safety, managing risk better and delivering a higher quality of service, it stated.

Farnek will also be making its mark on the IoT (Internet of Things) sector through this system and latest technology by Google, said a top official.

"In today’s complex and expensive built environment, modern buildings are highly technical, operating with next generation property management systems (PMS). To deliver optimal performance, seconds literally count, in terms of the damage an electrical fault or a water leak can do to a $250-million building," remarked its CEO Markus Oberlin.

"Our business strategy is to become early adopters of all technological innovation, relevant to our sector," he noted.

Putting that into an FM context, Farnek will now roll out smart watches and smartphones loaded with the Time and Attendance software which tracks employee geo location based on google map.

Through a combination of Google apps for work, Google Map, Android apps and the use of a private cloud, the system will allow access to information on the road with real time reports, where each authorised Farnek technician has access to a wealth of learning data, but without having to travel back and forth from the site to the office, saving valuable time, he added.

According to Oberlin, the management will now be able to schedule work rotas more efficiently, integrated with specific contracts and Geofenced on Google Map.

Technicians can be identified by location using GPS with automated check-ins and check outs. Movement can also be tracked and supervisors alerted for late or non-arrivals.

The reports generated can not only be sent to Farnek’s HRD for its own payroll, it can also be used as supporting documentation to the client, either in real time or for a specific report period, indicating accurately the number of man hours spent on a particular contract, he added.-TradeArabia News Service