BayLogics Aims for Life-Cycle Management

CRE's Swiss Army Knife... "Life cycle" is one of those overused real estate terms -- like "full service." But after viewing a demo of BayLogics' SiteSeer-ie™, life cycle just may be the right term. Recently Byron Jacobs, Chief Strategy Officer of BayLogics, WebEx'd me around SiteSeer, which is aimed at meeting all corporate real estate (CRE) needs from cradle to grave, so to speak.

SiteSeer evolved out of a program written for Safeway Stores fifteen years ago and is heavily used by retailers such as CVS, Sears and Bed, Bath & Beyond. SiteSeer-ie™ ("Internet Edition"), which is now fully web-enabled, divides the real estate life cycle into six segments: Site Selection, Site Acquisition, Construction Management, Occupancy Management, Facilities Management and Site Disposition.

Each SiteSeer user creates his or her "personal portal." So depending upon your position in the company and your personal preferences, SiteSeer's home page will look quite different for a store manager in the field and a senior executive at headquarters. But for both, it will be the primary driver for real estate collaboration.

Outsiders can also be given secure access to this data. For example, a corporate user can share a CAD drawing with an architect. Or a vendor can access a picture of a product that may have a problem. SiteSeer aims to be the complete solution for a corporate real estate enterprise -- a big investment for a big vision.

--Peter Pike