As facility and workplace operations become more complex, enterprise-level organizations need more reliable ways to manage data across multiple sites.
Key takeaways
- Cloud-to-cloud integration enables seamless data exchange across platforms, which is crucial for data continuity and collaboration: Integration allows operations and maintenance teams to access detailed information from BIM models and construction documentation, reducing rework and improving accuracy
- Real-time data access reduces errors and ensures that operations and maintenance teams work from the same source of truth: By breaking down barriers between departments, it facilitates real-time data sharing, leading to fewer errors and faster workflows
- Cloud-to-cloud workflows significantly enhance the scalability of facility management infrastructure: They can handle increasing data volumes and users seamlessly, supporting the onboarding of new buildings, assets, and teams without the need for system overhauls
By linking specialized platforms for design, maintenance, and operations, teams can eliminate silos, improve collaboration, and unlock real-time insights. Cloud-to-cloud integrations support smarter decision-making while laying the groundwork for future innovations.
What are the benefits of moving from on-premises to the cloud?
By shifting from traditional on-premises infrastructure to cloud-based platforms, organizations can reduce capital and operational expenses, while improving scalability, reliability, and security.
Moving to the cloud eliminates the need for physical servers, cooling systems, and dedicated IT staff. Going to the cloud reduces capital expenditures and simplifies infrastructure management. Organizations no longer have to maintain server rooms or invest in backup power and climate control systems. IT teams can focus on strategic initiatives rather than routine hardware maintenance.
Scalability is another major advantage. Cloud platforms allow teams to expand operations across sites without overhauling infrastructure. Walmart’s hybrid cloud strategy, for example, illustrates how large organizations use cloud flexibility to support global operations.
Reliability is also an important advantage, with many leading providers offering uptime guarantees of 99.995% or higher, ensuring business continuity even during local outages.
Cloud platforms are typically more secure than on-premises systems because providers can implement security updates, patches, and infrastructure improvements quickly and consistently across their environments.
Cloud systems also help bring data together from across departments and locations, enabling standardized formats and centralized access, which is especially valuable in facility management, where the team must capture and integrate data from, for example, HVAC systems, energy meters, and maintenance logs, for effective decision-making.
On-premises systems still have their place
While cloud platforms offer flexibility, scalability, and centralized control, there are still situations where on-premises systems can be a better choice, especially when specific operational or regulatory needs are involved. For example, facilities managing highly sensitive data, such as government or defense installations, may require full control over infrastructure to meet strict compliance and security standards.
What is cloud-to-cloud integration?
Historically, the construction industry has lagged in IT adoption due to fragmentation and reliance on legacy systems. However, cloud computing has rapidly gained traction because of its scalability and cost-efficiency. Gartner currently predicts 50% of organizations will adopt industry-specific cloud platforms by 2027 to accelerate digital initiatives.
The trend is relevant for facility teams managing complex portfolios, where cloud-to-cloud integration supports predictive maintenance, sustainability goals, and compliance. As AI and machine learning workloads increasingly dominate cloud infrastructure, the ability to connect platforms and share data securely will become even more important.
Cloud-to-cloud integration is in many ways the next step in digital transformation for the built environment. While the initial wave of cloud adoption focused on migrating from on-premises systems to cloud platforms, leaders in architecture, engineering, construction, and facility management are embracing interoperable cloud ecosystems.
The changes enable seamless data sharing between specialized platforms, including building information modeling (BIM) systems and maintenance and operations solutions. The result is a unified digital thread that spans the entire building life cycle, from concept to occupancy.
What are the benefits of cloud-to-cloud integration for facility, workplace, and maintenance teams?
As facility and maintenance operations grow more complex, cloud-to-cloud integration offers a way to unify systems and streamline workflows. By enabling seamless data exchange across platforms, it empowers teams to make faster decisions, improve collaboration, and maintain consistent standards across locations. For organizations focused on scalability and innovation, it lays the foundation for smarter, more agile operations.
Centralized operations across distributed sites
For facility managers responsible for multiple buildings or campuses, cloud- to-cloud integration enables a truly centralized operational model. Instead of juggling separate systems for each location, integrated cloud platforms allow data to flow seamlessly between tools, whether for asset tracking, space utilization, or maintenance scheduling. Teams can monitor performance, assign tasks, and generate reports from a single dashboard, regardless of where the data originates. The result is faster decision-making, reduced administrative overhead, and consistent standards across all sites.
This level of centralization also supports better resource allocation. Maintenance teams can be dispatched based on real-time needs across locations, and inventory can be managed more efficiently by sharing data between procurement and operations systems. With cloud-to-cloud integration, facility managers gain a holistic view of their portfolio, enabling smarter planning and more agile responses to issues.
Seamless data continuity from design to operations
Traditionally, operations and maintenance teams do not have access to valuable information in BIM models and construction documentation. With integrated cloud platforms, that data remains accessible and actionable, so teams can leverage it for preventive maintenance, space planning, and even energy optimization.
Data continuity reduces rework and improves accuracy. For example, if a building’s digital twin is connected to a cloud-based integrated facility platform, maintenance teams can access exact specifications, warranty details, and installation dates directly from the model. For multi-site organizations, replicating the model across locations creates a scalable framework for long-term operational excellence.
Enhanced collaboration and system interoperability
Cloud-to-cloud integration helps break barriers between departments and systems. Facility managers can collaborate more effectively with design teams, IT, and vendors by sharing data across platforms in real time. Whether it’s syncing occupancy data with HVAC controls or linking maintenance logs with procurement systems, interoperability ensures everyone is working from the same source of truth.
Instead of relying on manual exports or middleware, cloud-to-cloud connections allow systems to communicate directly. The result is fewer errors, faster workflows, and a more cohesive technology ecosystem that supports both operational efficiency and strategic planning.
Scalable infrastructure for growing portfolios
As organizations expand through construction, acquisitions, and geographic diversification, managing disparate systems becomes increasingly complex. Cloud-to-cloud platforms help eliminate friction by allowing organizations to more smoothly onboard new buildings, assets, and teams.
Integrated cloud systems can also handle increasing volumes of data, users, and workflows without compromising performance. For example, as more IoT devices are deployed across facilities, cloud platforms can automatically include and process that data, feeding it into maintenance schedules, energy dashboards, or space utilization reports. Facility managers benefit from consistent visibility and control, even as operational demands grow.
Scalable cloud ecosystems support future innovation. Whether adopting AI-driven predictive maintenance, integrating compliance reporting tools, or connecting with smart building platforms, cloud-to-cloud infrastructure ensures that new technologies can be layered in without disrupting existing workflows. For multi-site organizations, this means growth can come with added complexity.
Cloud integration between Autodesk and Eptura: Connecting design and operations
The integration between Autodesk® and Eptura ™ shows how cloud-to-cloud connectivity can reshape facility management. By linking platforms that specialize in different phases of the building life cycle — Autodesk for design and modeling, Eptura for operations and maintenance — organizations can create a continuous flow of data from construction through occupancy and beyond.
Facility managers can access detailed BIM data within their operational systems. For example, instead of manually entering asset data, teams can pull specifications, installation dates, and warranty details directly from the design model, improving accuracy, reducing onboarding time for new buildings, and supporting more proactive maintenance planning.
In multi-site organizations, this kind of integration becomes even more valuable. When each location is built or renovated using BIM, cloud-to-cloud workflows ensure operational data is standardized and accessible across the portfolio. Facility teams can replicate successful maintenance strategies, benchmark performance, and scale best practices without having to manually rebuild their own work.
Looking ahead, these integrations help lay the groundwork for broader innovation. As digital twins, smart building systems, and AI-driven analytics become more common, having a connected cloud ecosystem ensures new tools can be added without disrupting existing workflows. Rather than replacing or replicating systems, cloud-to-cloud integration helps teams work better together.
Learn how Eptura works with Autodesk to eliminate operational blind spots.
Frequently asked questions
By Jonathan Davis
As a content creator at Eptura, Jonathan Davis covers asset management, maintenance software, and SaaS solutions, delivering thought leadership with actionable insights across industries such as fleet, manufacturing, healthcare, and hospitality. Jonathan’s writing focuses on topics to help enterprises optimize their operations, including building lifecycle management, digital twins, BIM for facility management, and preventive and predictive maintenance strategies. With a master's degree in journalism and a diverse background that includes writing textbooks, editing video game dialogue, and teaching English as a foreign language, Jonathan brings a versatile perspective to his content creation.
