Workplace software has an awkward characteristic: facilities usually choose it, and IT usually inherits it. By the time a CIO is looped in, a shortlist often exists and the evaluation criteria were written by someone else entirely.

The most valuable thing a CIO can do is get involved before that point. Once there, the questions worth owning are different from the ones the facilities team is asking.

Where this sits in the stack

This platform will hold occupancy, attendance, and visitor data that other systems want. Decide early whether it’s a system of record or a system of engagement, because that determines whether data flows out to your BI layer or gets trapped in vendor dashboards. Ask what APIs exist and whether you can export raw data, not just PDFs.

Integration surface

Identity provider, calendar, HRMS, access control, and possibly building management. Each one is a project, and each one is a dependency you’ll maintain for years. Count them honestly during evaluation. A platform that requires five new integrations to build is a bigger commitment than the licence fee suggests.

Employee data

Occupancy analytics can look like surveillance depending on how it’s built. You will be the one explaining aggregation and retention to employee representatives, so evaluate for that conversation in advance.

One platform or several

Point solutions for desks, rooms, parking, and visitors mean four vendors, four security reviews, and four identity integrations. That overhead is yours, not facilities’.

Also look at funding, customer base, and whether the product is a company’s core business or a side bet.