What is data gridlock?
Data gridlock occurs when facility teams struggle to access and use the data they need to escape reactive and chaotic workflows. The majority of facility management teams commit 60% of their time to reactive requests which fundamentally contributes to delayed decision-making, operational inefficiencies, and increased costs.
While technology has evolved major critical systems, building operating software, and edge technology, the fragmented adoption of these capabilities pulls facilities teams back into the firefight.
Buildings are capable of producing more data than ever before, yet most organizations are challenged with breaking down data silos, identifying blindspots, and unifying systems data into actionable insights.
How is data gridlock caused?
- Fragmented technology ecosystems – Proprietary protocols and limited interoperability prevent data flow across building operating systems, HVAC, chillers, irrigation, IoT edge devices, and other system components.
- Siloed data ownership – Facilities teams struggle to consolidate asset history, sensor data, and real-time monitoring into a unified source of truth.
- Dominant reactive workflows – FM teams spend the majority of their time dealing with reactive requests, leaving little bandwidth to develop preventive strategies involving data accumulation and analysis.
- Poor data quality and accessibility – Inconsistent asset naming, sensor drift, missing commissioning data, and even raw data streams that aren’t normalized contribute to noise instead of clarity.
- Vendor lock-in and legacy systems – Older mechanical and controls systems remain critical to operations but lack modern connectivity. Upgrades are delayed due to cost, downtime risks, or contractual service agreements.
- Facility teams skills gap – Facility managers are experts in operations but may lack advanced data and technology training which creates reliance on external vendors.
- Budget and resource constraints – Capital budgets prioritize visible assets (i.e. chillers, boilers) over data infrastructure and integration technology.
How to fight back against datagridlock
Motion Cloud is the first adaptive building intelligence platform created to help facility management and building operations teams break down data siloes, unify data from disparate mechanicals, and modernize existing BMS solutions without a rip and replace conversation,
The benefit? Comprehensive, accurate building monitoring and control in a mobile platform that empowers facilities teams wherever they are.
- Modernization of existing building management solutions – Most buildings don’t need a rip-and-replace overhaul, they need their existing systems to work smarter. Motion overlays modern intelligence onto legacy BAS, controls, and equipment, extending system life while unlocking data that was once trapped. The result is improved ROI on past investments and future-proofed infrastructure without disruptive capital heavy projects.
- Unification of siloed building data – Facility teams shouldn’t have to chase information across BAS dashboards, CMMS logs, and service provider portals. Motion unifies siloed building data into a single platform. Real-time monitoring and control over thousands of devices turns fragmented data into actionable intelligence.
- Proactive facility workflows – Escaping reactive firefighting starts with knowing what’s coming. Motion enables proactive workflows by surfacing early indicators of system issues, and AI-guided alarm management helps facilities teams evolve from constant “fire drills” to driving stability, time efficiency, and improved uptime of your entire building solution.
- AI-guided alarm management and routing – Inconsistent asset naming, sensor drift, missing commissioning data, and even raw data streams that aren’t normalized contribute to noise instead of clarity.
- Resource optimization – Older mechanical and controls systems remain critical to operations but lack modern connectivity. Upgrades are delayed due to cost, downtime risks, or contractual service agreements.
