march2021 - 26

" With the onset of more analytics, more data,
and crunching that data, systems are becoming more predictive in what needs to be done to
prevent the failure on the road, or the unexpected
downtime, " Adler says.
The proactive functionality of current CMMS
products provides fleets with real-time actionable
information, adds Bob Hausler, vice president,
marketing and technology, Dossier Systems.
" Tracking systems give you information when
you ask for it, " Hausler advises. " Good maintenance management systems constantly monitor
every aspect of your fleet and notify you when
something needs attention. "
Maintenance management software capabilities
have undergone a significant change over the last
several years. Software platforms are now more
often hosted on a web server instead of being
uploaded locally on shop devices. This affords
additional flexibility and scalability for fleet operations. Flexibility also comes with opportunities to
utilize not just a desktop computer, but also mobile
devices like tablets and smartphones on-site -
whether that be in the bay or on the side of the
road. With all of this technology now utilized in
the shop, security considerations and connections
with other software programs are imperative to
ensure safety and streamline the sharing of data
across a fleet's operation.

A move to the cloud

Fleets have two options when it comes to CMMS
products: They can install the software locally on
all shop devices, or they can select a cloud-based
software provider. The industry has seen a continued shift to cloud-based CMMS products.
Known as software as a service, or SaaS,
web-based software products utilize the cloud
to store all of the data from the fleet.
During a time when a fleet's IT team has been
tasked with setting up remote work environments, SaaS has allowed companies to more
easily and readily scale their business so employees at different locations can all access the same
secure network.
Plus, SaaS allows a fleet to rely on the software
provider's technology expertise to maintain the
program and data.
Traditionally with on-premises software, a fleet
would upload software to each device in the shop.
This requires a savvy and responsive IT team in
place to implement and periodically update the
CMMS product.
" A lot of the limitations of installed software are
what you might imagine: You need someone with
technical know-how to install it and then maintain
it on your devices, " says Laura Maxwell, product
marketing manager for Fleetio. " It limits who can
use the software, makes it difficult to collaborate,
and updates are really painful and slow. "
Operating in a SaaS environment means that
software updates can be done quickly and more
often, as needed, to ensure the optimized performance of the CMMS. " If you have a bug in your
current version, it might be six months before that
gets resolved, " Maxwell notes of on-premises software. " With an SaaS solution, this can be resolved
right away. "

26 Fleet Maintenance | March 2021

»CMMS providers continue to optimize the
functionality and information available on
a tablet for employees who are frequently
moving about the shop, for things such as
time clocks, creating repair orders, charging
parts, and completing inspection forms.
Photo courtesy of Maverick Transportation

The shift to web-based products also has
changed the payment structure for CMMS software. Historically, when software was downloaded to individual computers locally at the shop, this
involved an upfront purchase of the software plus
a periodic fee for upgrades and/or an annual fee
for continual support and upgrades of the product.
Ric Bedard, founder and CEO of Cetaris, advises
fleets often overlook the full scope of cost considerations for maintaining on-site CMMS products.

march2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of march2021