For Corporate Real Estate (CRE) teams, managing a company’s portfolio has always been a high-stakes balancing act of cost, location, and functionality. In the past, major decisions about leases, acquisitions, and office design were often based on headcount projections and anecdotal feedback—an imprecise science at best. Today, the rise of the intelligent workplace has provided CRE teams with their most powerful tool yet: accurate, real-time space utilization data. This data transforms portfolio management from a reactive process to a proactive, strategic function. Effective
is now a data-driven discipline that can unlock massive value for the organization.
Moving from Assumption to Certainty
How much space does your company actually need in the hybrid era? Which office layouts best promote productivity? Are your current real estate assets delivering a positive return on investment? Without data, the answers to these critical questions are merely assumptions. Workplace analytics platforms replace this uncertainty with concrete evidence. By collecting anonymous data from desk sensors, room booking systems, and visitor logs, CRE teams can see exactly how every square meter of their portfolio is being used. They can identify which buildings are over or under capacity, understand peak usage days, and see which types of spaces are in highest demand.
Optimizing the Existing Portfolio
Before making any major leasing decisions, the first step is to optimize what you already have. Utilization data often reveals surprising inefficiencies. For example, a company might be planning to lease more space because employees complain about a lack of meeting rooms, but the data might show that the existing large boardrooms are only ever 25% full. This insight allows the CRE team to make a smaller, more impactful investment in reconfiguring a large room into several smaller huddle spaces, solving the problem without adding to the portfolio. This data-driven approach ensures that capital is allocated effectively to projects that will have the greatest impact on the employee experience and the bottom line.
Informing Future Real Estate Strategy
When it comes to long-term strategy, utilization data is indispensable. It provides the business case needed to renew a lease, downsize a footprint, or invest in a new location. When negotiating with landlords, having precise data on your actual space needs gives you a significant advantage. Furthermore, as companies experiment with new workplace concepts like hub-and-spoke models or activity-based working, data is essential for measuring success. By tracking how these new environments are used, CRE teams can validate their strategies, learn what works, and refine their approach for future projects, ensuring the company’s real estate portfolio is perfectly aligned with its evolving business goals.