Sun, a leading supplier of hardware, software, and services that power the Internet, recently launched two new programs, an Integrated Planning System (IPS) and iWork. Both are part of WR's bid to promote different ways of deploying and using real estate through interactive Web portals and network-based office management.

"With these initiatives we're enabling something that Sun employees have already been doing for years," says Keith Perske, e-Solutions manager for Workplace Resources. "Many of our people already work away from their offices; we're just reassessing the way this impacts our portfolio and how we respond to it. The idea of anyone on any device at any time from anywhere has big implications for corporate real estate, significantly changing the product we deliver to our internal customers."

Integrated Planning System

Workplace Resources' goal is to drive as many internal business interactions as practical onto the Web. One way the group has met this challenge is by developing the Integrated Planning System, a set of interconnected space management tools. The IPS, which was designed and built in-house, consists of a series of interactive applications: an occupancy tracking tool, a forecasting tool, a supply planning tool, and a charge-back system. These applications leverage a single database globally.

"We looked for an IT solution about five years ago but couldn't find one that was integrated and enterprise-wide, so we ended up building it ourselves," says Perske.

The IPS is being deployed through WR's client portal. The client portal, the first of three planned Sun e-business portals, is the primary interface for all real estate content and tools relevant to Sun employees.

"Through the client portal, employees can book travel, submit work orders, reserve conference rooms, get building plans, etc.," Perske explains. "It also provides access to other tools that aren't maintained by the real estate group, like HR systems and expense reports."

One of the main functions of the IPS is Web-based demand forecasting. Through the portal, WR receives three-year headcount demand figures from each of Sun's seven business units. These figures are then updated every quarter.

"The idea is to have one well-networked location for facilities data that can be used to assess occupancy, growth, and planning. The Web interface allows Sun managers to enter data at a high level, which is then distributed manually, and by using algorithms, to a building-by-building basis. It's then sliced and diced globally so we can act on it," says Perske.

Another key feature of the client portal is distributed metric analysis. WR tracks eight core metrics and flashes them on digital dashboards to Sun executives and operational people so that they can quickly gauge performance in relation to company goals.

Portals on the Future

In addition to the client portal, WR is developing the second of three planned Web interfaces, the Workplace Resources portal, which will aid the real estate organization as it progresses into the age of network-based management.

"Our group is going virtual," Perske says. "None of us will have assigned seats. So right now we're determining how to make that happen. The Workplace Resources portal will be the central place for us to interact and access systems."

These advanced business solutions run on customizable portal software, called iPlanet, which was co-created specifically for e-commerce by Sun and AOL. iPlanet enables remote collaboration through instant messaging, data sharing, and data conferencing

"A portal is different from a standard Web site in that it's customizable, users can launch and run applications from it, and it supports multiple functions based on single authentication of the user," says Perske.

A big issue with developing e-commerce portals is keeping content fresh. Perske emphasizes that as companies put information and tools on the Web, it's critical to maintain them.

"There's nothing worse than old content on a Web site. People who log on and see outdated information will assume everything on the site is stale. It's very important to have a robust content management program," he says.

WR keeps portal content fresh by using dynamic digital dashboards, an editorial calendar to drive high visibility messages, and integrated content management software created by Vignette, which runs in conjunction with iPlanet on Sun's own Java 2 Platform Enterprise Edition (J2EE?).

The group is considering a third, supplier portal, to be built in collaboration with external vendors. The proposed portal will focus on e-billing, project cost tracking, and project management. According to the current plan, WR's primary partners -- Johnson Controls and Jones Lang LaSalle -- will drive their own e-business solutions to the Web, and Sun will work with them to provide desired content and interfaces.

A major initiative being driven and supported by WR through technology is a focus on alternative officing strategies such as non-assigned seating, work from home, drop-in centers, and what Sun calls "networks of places."

"In the Bay Area we have about a hundred buildings. Instead of going to the building employees are assigned to, they can go to the one nearest their house. It's a network. You don't have to be in a single place, you can access our infrastructure and systems from anywhere," he says.

iWork -- a combination of diverse workplace options, technology solutions, and management practices -- is a response to the fact that as many as 30 percent of Sun's 39,000 global employees do not badge into their assigned offices on a daily basis.

"Sun spends millions of dollars a year on its portfolio, but a good portion of that portfolio at any given time is not being used at all," Perske says. "If we can recapture ten percent of that, great. We think we can capture more."

One survey revealed that well over half of Sun's employees would like the option of working from home. In response, the Workplace Resources group, in partnership with Sun's IT and HR groups, has developed a set of tools to enable virtual private networks through company-supplied DSL links. Sun also maintains a system of remote drop-in centers in outlying areas of major work hubs where employees can pick up their email and leave. As a result of these and other similar strategies, over a quarter of Sun's global workforce now operates in an iWork environment.

Transformation Management

Workplace Resources has been deploying e-solutions for years and has learned some significant lessons along the way. Probably most notable is that technology by itself does not solve problems.

"You solve problems first with improved business processes and new approaches to serving the customers," Perske emphasizes. "Then you build technology tools that enable those things, but once the tools are complete you're only halfway there. The rest is about rolling them out, training clients to use them, defining roles and responsibilities, and supporting them into the future."

Perske asserts that in the modern marketplace change management is fast becoming a core skill for successful corporate real estate professionals. Leveraging data is also key to facilitating access to the network. According to Perske, the creation and maintenance of a data warehouse is essential.

"We've had to cobble systems together from various departments and, in the process, ended up with data in more than one place," he says. "Having a data warehouse gives us a single dependable source for each piece of data."

As WR personnel move forward they are working to re-engineer Sun's occupancy tracking system, using a rigorous Six-Sigma quality-assurance standard. They are also developing an integrity program for their data warehouse, creating architecture maps that show how information flows and indicate who is responsible for every piece of data critical to planning.

"Corporate real estate people are used to doing strategic planning, asset management, project delivery, etc. but the opportunities presented by the networked economy are fundamentally changing the way our companies work. In our world this changes two things: the type of infrastructure we provide and how we provide it. It is important for CRE professionals to recognize the role they play in this great transformation and to be drivers of the change rather than be run over by it," he says.

By Johnathon Allen