What is a CMMS?

Modern CMMS platforms work like a central hub, helping enterprises use new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and the Internet of Things (IoT) to track and manage their maintenance operations.

A CMMS is closely related to enterprise asset management (EAM)—another asset management software that is broader and more comprehensive than CMMS tools. EAM solutions are used throughout an asset’s lifecycle, from procurement through disposal. They consider other factors besides asset performance and health, such as location, budgeting and labor management.

While computerized maintenance management systems have existed since the 1960s, today’s platforms have their roots in the early 2000s with the rise of networking and the modern internet.

Before the CMMS, maintenance managers relied on manual tools like spreadsheets and checklists for maintenance planning. But as technological advancements made assets more complex, these methods produced too many inefficiencies. The highly autonomous CMMS platforms that exist today can complete sophisticated tasks on their own (for example, predicting when an asset will fail and taking steps to prevent it).

The global market for the modern CMMS is healthy and growing rapidly. A recent report estimated it at USD 1.29 billion in 2024 and projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11% over the next 5 years.¹

Modern computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) solutions are centralized, data-driven enterprise solutions that streamline and automate a wide range of maintenance tasks. By connecting a CMMS with EAM and enterprise resource planning (ERP) tools, CMMS platforms provide maintenance managers with a unified view of every asset in their portfolio. Here’s a closer look at the capabilities that underpin CMMS performance:

• Work order management: CMMS software automates work order management—from the initial request for maintenance to the assignment of a technician and through to completion. The CMMS tracks maintenance tasks for each asset. This process can ensure organizations have a detailed maintenance history for their assets that complies with relevant warranties and audits.

• Inventory management: A CMMS helps procurement managers track spare parts and tools by keeping detailed records and automatically reordering items that are out of stock. Automated inventory management helps managers increase cost savings by reducing parts shortages, optimizing stock levels and cutting down on the likelihood of human error.

• Preventive maintenance scheduling: CMMS platforms help maintenance teams shift away from reactive maintenance, a maintenance approach where components are only fixed or replaced when they break. Modern CMMS tools enable preventive maintenance by automatically issuing work orders based on real-time maintenance data about an asset. This practice has been shown to extend asset lifespan and reduce the likelihood of breakdowns.

• Data visualization: Advanced CMMS software systems are equipped with dashboards that visualize key performance metrics (KPIs) for each asset in a manager’s portfolio. These comprehensive systems enable facility managers to track key metrics like uptime, downtime and wear-and-tear in real-time so they can optimize operations and reduce inefficiencies.

Organizations of all sizes rely on the computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) to solve their most vexing business problems. From process automation to increased uptime, reduced maintenance costs and enhanced business operations, here’s a look at the top enterprise benefits of the CMMS.

The CMMS helps organizations ensure that small maintenance issues don’t turn into larger problems that could cause unexpected equipment failure and downtime.

Through the collection and analysis of real-time data collected by IoT sensors, a CMMS helps facilities and asset managers monitor asset performance and spot and repair issues before they cause breakdowns.

A CMMS helps facility managers reap the benefits of predictive maintenance, a modern, proactive method of asset maintenance that continually assesses asset condition in real-time. Predictive maintenance allows facility managers to forecast maintenance conditions so that repairs can be performed when an asset isn’t running.

Predictive maintenance enhances an organization’s ability to maintain its most valuable assets in a way that doesn’t interrupt its core business practices and extends asset lifecycles.

The evolution from reactive to proactive and even predictive maintenance helps maintenance teams lower the overall cost of asset maintenance while maintaining the same levels of performance and productivity.

The CMMS extends asset lifecycles and makes inventory planning more efficient, automating reorders to avoid costly, last-minute replacement and the management of unneeded inventory.

A strong, well-planned CMMS can transform enterprise maintenance operations from manual and reactive to automated and proactive. Leveraging real-time maintenance data, facilities managers can make more informed decisions, optimize maintenance strategies and automate time-consuming and inefficient tasks.

Integrating a CMMS with ERP and EAM further enhances their capabilities, combining asset-specific information with broader data related to budgeting and operational goals. 

Through automation, the CMMS dramatically shortens maintenance workflows and reduces inefficiencies across complex and sophisticated maintenance processes.

By centralizing tasks in a user-friendly hub, CMMS can handle various tasks. It can track work orders, send notifications to managers and technicians and notify procurement specialists when an asset is nearing the end of its lifecycle and needs to be replaced.

For global organizations that must comply with regulations in more than one territory, a CMMS can automate the often-arduous task of ensuring that maintenance procedures follow all applicable rules. With the integration of a compliance management system (CMS), maintenance management software systems log maintenance activity, keep detailed records and generate a comprehensive audit trail of repairs.

For industries that are heavily regulated, such as healthcare and manufacturing, the CMMS and CMS help reduce the likelihood of human error in the compliance process, which can lead to heavy fines.

A cloud-based CMMS—a CMMS software solution that leverages cloud computing resources for its core functionalities—gives technicians and managers the same capabilities in the field as on-premises.

Field technicians can track and edit work orders, request more procedures and access and share asset data with a mobile app, enhancing communication and increasing productivity.

The core functionality of the computerized maintenance management system (CMMS)—optimizing asset maintenance through automation—makes it a dependable solution for a wide range of industries.

The rise of the AI-enhanced CMMS has had a profound impact in industries that depend on asset uptime and precision, such as manufacturing, healthcare and energy. Here’s a closer look at how five industries are using the CMMS to enhance their maintenance practices.

In the manufacturing industry, asset downtime can be extremely costly. When the equipment that aids in the development of automobiles, electronic components or advanced aerospace systems, for example, fails unexpectedly, organizations lose their core business capabilities.

A CMMS helps maintenance teams in the manufacturing industry plan asset maintenance around production schedules and practice preventive and predictive maintenance to extend asset lifespans.

The healthcare industry relies on advanced CMMS capabilities to ensure precise maintenance processes for complex physical assets that must meet rigorous safety standards.

CMMS for healthcare also automates a wide range of manual tasks, ensuring compliance and reducing the risk of human error. Finally, CMMS software platforms maintain detailed maintenance histories and warranties for the healthcare assets they support, ensuring maintenance teams can comply swiftly with audits.

CMMS implementation helps facility maintenance teams streamline their operations through automated tracking of asset performance and maintenance history.

CMMS solutions for facilities management can help monitor complex assets through real-time CMMS data gathered from IoT sensors and automate maintenance scheduling. Dashboards that are accessible with mobile devices help teams track key metrics related to asset health, energy consumption and performance.

The energy industry is increasingly dependent on the automation capabilities of advanced CMMS platforms to collect and analyze real-time data and perform predictive maintenance on assets like hydroelectric dams and wind turbines.

Real-time IoT data collected from critical infrastructure can predict equipment failures and help repair them before disruptions in service.

City, state and federal governments must manage and maintain large and diverse asset portfolios, from vehicle fleets to buildings to on-premises IT infrastructure.

CMMS maintenance platforms—accessible on-premises and remotely with mobile devices—give maintenance teams full visibility into the real-time condition of these assets. It helps them identify opportunities for predictive and preventive maintenance.

Recent developments in CMMS solutions like increased automation and autonomy are closely linked to breakthroughs in AI and IoT. As these technologies continue to evolve, this trend is likely to continue.

Soon, CMMS solutions are expected to grow more autonomous, expanding the range and complexity of tasks they can handle. Here’s a look at three trends currently driving innovation in the CMMS.

The application of ML algorithms (AI models that can detect patterns in data) to real-time data gathered from IoT sensors has dramatically enhanced CMMS capabilities. Through the analysis of vast datasets by ML algorithms, new CMMS solutions can forecast equipment failures even more accurately than in the past.

Today’s CMMS can optimize asset maintenance processes while also considering a wider range of factors, such as budget, scheduling, maintenance history and labor requirements.

Augmented reality (AR), the real-time integration of digital information into a user’s environment, is already impacting how maintenance teams approach complex asset repair.

Using AR technology, technicians can receive instructions about the assets they’re repairing in real-time, enhancing the remote guidance and training capabilities of the CMMS and shortening asset repair cycles.

A cloud-based CMMS has increased scalability and flexibility, making it possible for small- and medium-sized businesses to leverage CMMS capabilities more than they have in the past.

Smaller businesses often can’t afford the large upfront investment in on-premises IT infrastructure that some CMMS solutions require. Soon, cloud providers will offer more CMMS capabilities like remote access and task automation at a fraction of the cost.

Business leaders are increasingly looking to generative AI (gen AI), a type of AI that can create content in response to a user request to improve how they manage their physical assets.

With a CMMS, gen AI can issue and track work orders, analyze and report on real-time IoT data, and create detailed asset maintenance strategies. According to a recent report by the IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV), 71% of executives say that it fundamentally changes how they will manage assets. 72% say it makes the practice of physical asset management more valuable to their enterprise.