From Silos to Success: 5 Steps to FM and IT Harmony

For decades, facilities management (FM) and information technology (IT) teams have operated in parallel universes within the same buildings. FM teams were fully responsible for maintaining power, regulating heating and cooling levels, and safeguarding occupant safety with door controllers. These operational technologies (OT) required that FM teams learn proprietary and standards-based protocols that were specific primarily to building technologies. IT, on the other hand, has been responsible for managing digital infrastructure, including the IP network, wired and wireless device connectivity, applications, and all security mechanisms deployed to protect data and users.

Because the teams operated with vastly different technologies and management processes, the universes rarely collided. FM dealt with OT integrated into the building for facilities operations, while IT deals with the bits and bytes that occupants use to conduct business. But the rise of smart building technologies has caused these two departments to overlap, forcing a “shotgun marriage” between two teams with clashing skills, priorities, and even cultures.

Let’s look at how to minimize the differences between FM and IT to eliminate this culture gap for the betterment of smart building technology management.

The Smart Building: Where FM and IT Collide

Smart buildings powered by IoT sensors, cloud-based analytics, and interconnected systems that now operate on IP networks managed by the IT department promise a future of efficiency, slashing energy costs and optimizing the occupancy experience. Yet, this convergence of operational technology (OT) and IT systems has exposed a rift. FM teams prioritize uptime and quick fixes, often installing locally or unmanaged devices like “dumb” thermostats that IT sees as a management inefficiency and potentially a security liability. IT, meanwhile, demands rigorous network and device monitoring, cybersecurity protections, and network optimization. Much of this is viewed by the FM team as bureaucratic overreach, slowing down critical operations.

The result? Smart building technologies often experience misaligned deployments, delayed projects, and vulnerability gaps, which keep building operators up and worrying late at night.

As buildings get smarter, the overlap of smart building technologies grows, and the stakes for collaboration climb higher. Considering the explosion of hybrid workforces, the potential to use technology for building utility efficiencies, and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) mandates, the need to bridge the FM and IT culture gap is more important than ever.

This isn’t just about syncing tech but about aligning mindsets, from the HVAC room to the server room. The question is: can these teams learn to speak each other’s language before the next smart system becomes a costly lesson in miscommunication?

Speaking the Same Language: Strategies for FM-IT Collaboration in Smart Buildings

The collision of FM and IT in smart building deployments doesn’t have to end in costly missteps that deliver subpar results. By fostering a mutual understanding, aligning lifecycle operations processes, and leveraging shared monitoring and management tools, FM and IT teams can transform their procedural and cultural gaps into a productive partnership.

Here are five actionable strategies to align mindsets, ensuring smart building technologies deliver efficiency, security, and improved occupant quality of life without cross-team friction.

1. Establish Joint Governance Early

FM and IT team collaboration must start long before the first IoT sensor, smart lighting controller, or surveillance camera is installed. One tip is to develop a cross-functional FM-IT task force during the planning phase of smart building projects. This team should co-own the smart building technology request-for-proposal (RFP) process, clearly defining requirements, roles, and responsibilities that balance the FM team ’s need for operational reliability with IT’s demand for cybersecurity.

2. Invest in Cross-Training for Shared Literacy

FM teams don’t need to become network engineers, nor should IT pros master HVAC systems. That said, a basic understanding of each other’s domains is often necessary. One way to accomplish this is to host workshops where FM learns about IP networking basics (e.g., assigning micro-segmentation for OT devices) and IT grasps building management system (BMS) communication protocols like BACnet.

3. Adopt Neutral Integrators as Mediators

Third-party integrators with expertise in both OT and IT can bridge technical and cultural divides. These specialists translate FM’s operational needs into IT-friendly architectures, such as deploying secure BACnet/SC gateways for legacy systems. Having a trusted partner who can speak the languages of FM and IT teams can go a long way toward getting the two groups to be on the same page.

4. Standardize on Interoperable, Secure Platforms

Disparate tools often fuel FM-IT tension. That’s why it’s useful to standardize on infrastructure platforms and tools that serve both teams’ needs. This standardization includes the underlying wired and wireless infrastructure, communication protocols, monitoring and alerting tools, and ticketing systems. These platforms and digital tools should prioritize open APIs and built-in security to satisfy IT while keeping FM’s operations as close to “plug-and-play” as possible.

5. Measure Success and Iterate Together

The final recommendation is to foster a system of cross-team trust through shared metrics and regularly scheduled audits. Key performance indicators (KPIs) should be established that are meaningful to both teams, such as energy cost reductions and breach detection times. A co-managed post-deployment review should be conducted after every completed smart building project to assess outcomes, reinforce responsibilities, and create well-defined  lines of lifecycle management communication.

Also note that emerging technologies can amplify success measurement efforts. AI-powered anomaly detection, for example, automates threat monitoring for IT while alerting FM teams to operational effects of the threat.

Building a Unified Future for Smart Buildings

By adopting a shared responsibility model, conducting sufficient cross-training, and integrating co-managed tools, FM and IT teams can easily transform their uneasy alliance into a powerful partnership. These steps close the cultural and procedural divide, turning clashing priorities into collaborative triumphs. For building owners, operators, and occupants, this synergy delivers smarter buildings that optimize energy efficiency, enhance security, and elevate comfort, creating spaces that are both cost-effective and future-ready.

Next Steps for FM and IT Professionals

• Form a joint task force to co-own scope, RFPs, roles, and standards.

• Inventory OT assets and map them to network segments; identify high-risk devices.

• Set a security baseline (micro-segmentation, authentication, patching) for all OT on IP.

• Standardize platforms with open APIs, BACnet/SC gateways, and shared monitoring/ticketing.

• Launch cross-training (FM ↔ IT fundamentals) and name a neutral OT-IT integrator.

• Define shared KPIs & cadence (energy, uptime, MTTR, alerts) and run a small pilot before scaling.