What is the Difference Between CMMS & EAM Software? (CMMS vs EAM)

As you start looking for solutions capable of handling your asset management requirements, you’re likely to run across many tools that seem to fit your business needs, including those classified as a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) or enterprise asset management (EAM) software. While there are similarities, it’s important to understand the difference between EAM and CMMS systems to help ensure you pick the right platform for your asset management process.

CMMS vs. EAM Systems

While CMMS and EAM software are similar, they have some key differences. The primary difference lies in the scope—most organizations use CMMS software to deal with operational management issues for maintaining assets, while an EAM solution focuses on the entire lifecycle of an asset—everything from purchasing an asset to deciding when it’s ready for disposal.

EAM software usually contains all the functionality of a full CMMS system, including monitoring asset health, preventive maintenance scheduling, and managing maintenance operations across the organization. 

However, EAM systems offer extensive features beyond CMMS capabilities to help organizations manage business issues around asset management, such as procurement, risk and compliance, process management, and life cycle cost tracking. Since these lifecycle planning capabilities aren’t typically found in a CMMS, EAM tools are popular in larger organizations with assets across multiple locations—or a single site containing many assets.

What Does a CMMS Do?

CMMS software is a program that helps companies track assets. Typically, companies create work orders that outline work associated with different company assets. That could be anything from moving a printer from one building to another or fixing the hard drive on a company computer. In addition, assets often require ongoing preventive maintenance and efforts.

A CMMS solution gives your company a centralized way to organize and keep up with assets that require preventative maintenance. In addition to helping you manage maintenance operations, CMMS asset management capabilities include generating reports to help you determine how well you’re doing operationally. CMMS software is also helpful for identifying and tracking asset issues before they lead to extended downtime and expensive repairs. The right CMMS can also fill your needs for work orders and inventory management software.

6 Key Benefits of a CMMS Tool

There are numerous benefits of CMMS software solutions. However, these are some of the most notable examples: 

1. Simplifies Work Order Management

CMMS software streamlines the process of creating work orders. Your team will have more time for other tasks, and your work orders will have fewer errors. This benefit keeps your workflow on track and helps you meet more deadlines faster.

2. Helps Your Facility Meet Compliance Standards

Many CMMS systems have built-in features that support your compliance efforts. They can store inspection records, maintenance logs, and compliance data in one place for easy access during audits. So, you won’t have to worry about missing information if an auditor requests it.

3. Improves Information Sharing

A CMMS allows employees to access and update asset information from any location. With an internet connection, teams can view asset history, maintenance schedules, and performance data from any location. That means fewer errors caused by miscommunication.

4. Reduces Manual Paperwork

Using a CMMS eliminates your need for any paper-based maintenance management work. Not having to manage physical documents means less clutter and quicker access to information. Additionally, a CMMS gives you one centralized location to track your data. That means you won’t have to search multiple applications to find information.

5. Enhances Resource Allocation

CMMS tools track the availability of staff, equipment, and materials. Facility managers can use this information to make practical decisions about resource allocation during strategic planning tasks.

6. Automates Asset Management Activities

You can automate routine tasks like scheduling maintenance and tracking inventory levels with a CMMS. Automation reduces your time on this work and makes managing maintenance activities much easier. 

What Does an EAM System Do?

Enterprise asset management software gives larger and more complex organizations a complete 360-degree view of what’s happening with the company’s physical assets. This software solution offers enterprise-grade support that tracks what happens to each asset throughout its lifecycle, including design, maintenance, and disposal. In addition, an EAM system helps companies track and maintain documentation and data associated with managing multiple sites containing physical assets.

Facilities management teams and maintenance departments can use an EAM system to create work orders, assign them to a technician, and track their progress. Companies can leverage the automation capabilities of EAM software to track maintenance requirements and automatically schedule asset maintenance. In addition, users can track the levels of and demand for materials required for asset management and preventive maintenance tasks.

3 Key Benefits of EAM

EAM tools are also designed to help with labor-management issues. For example, managers can assess, provide training for, and issue certifications to employees throughout the enterprise.

EAM systems offer additional features that help you:

1. Track Service Contracts

Storing asset contract information within an EAM system simplifies compliance matters and asset spending. Users can create and manage contracts directly within an EAM platform. This helps them stay on top of agreements made with vendors, customers, partners, and workers.

2. Manage Finances

Companies can leverage EAM software to monitor data on the total cost associated with work orders. Then, they can integrate other financial software to help manage project spending and accounting matters.

3. Create Analytics and Reports

EAMs typically come with capabilities that help businesses analyze the performance of assets, including asset uptime and downtime. Improved maintenance management helps you identify potential issues before they become bigger problems that lead to downtime.

In addition, an EAM system can capture the business intelligence and KPIs most applicable to your industry to help guide decision-making.

EAM vs. CMMS Risk Management Strategies

Proactive Risk Management Using a CMMS

Facility managers can use a CMMS to schedule routine maintenance activities based on each asset’s specific needs. The system allows them to identify potential equipment failures early by analyzing patterns based on historical data. Highly specific schedules based on asset needs are an effective way to strategically minimize downtime for each asset.

Comprehensive Risk Assessment with EAM Systems

EAM systems track each piece of equipment throughout its lifecycle. This functionality helps maintenance managers identify emerging risks related to aging assets and schedule inspections accordingly. These insights also help extend asset life, as managers can plan timely repairs or part replacements based on real data.

Best Practices for Mitigating Risks in Maintenance Operations

Whether you’re using a CMMS or EAM system, you must still follow risk management best practices. These best practices include the following:

• Regularly audit maintenance tasks to detect potential inefficiencies
• Train employees to recognize the signs of an emerging failure and how to report it
• Set automated alerts to help managers schedule maintenance tasks based on risk assessment data

ServiceChannel’s data analytics tools further support risk mitigation efforts. Facilities and maintenance managers can leverage our tools to analyze operational data, pinpoint potential risks, and take proactive steps to address them.

CMMS vs. EAM: Which Solution is Right for You?

EAM and CMMS solutions are both maintenance management systems that can help you better control and maintain your company’s physical assets, reduce energy usage, ensure optimal asset health, meet maintenance KPIs, and monitor asset performance.

Assessing Organizational Needs

Organizations that want more control over asset management, such as maintenance scheduling and project management, may want to consider CMMS software.

It can help your company:

• Improve asset visibility: Managers can quickly access information on an asset, including the purchase date, maintenance history, audit trails, and any breakdowns.
• Automate certain tasks: Users can automatically create work orders, reorder parts, set up worker shifts, and compile information for audits.
• Enhance field workforce management: Keep up with what’s going on with your internal and external workforce by unifying your control over those teams within a central platform. A CMMS helps employees stay connected to the home office and communicate data updates in real-time.

An EAM software purchase might make more sense if your organization requires a more holistic, full-scale asset and maintenance management software platform that follows the entire asset lifecycle.

EAM systems are good for:

• Picking up on issues: EAMs help companies resolve problems with assets and establish more stable facility management operations.
• Monitoring and maximizing asset usage: Companies can extend the lifecycle of various assets by collecting information from IoT devices and feeding it back to the EAM software. From there, they can use the data to determine the availability of assets and their reliability.
• Keeping up with aging assets and infrastructure: EAM solutions help companies employ more informed maintenance strategies to assess the risk of different assets and equipment. Organizations can use the insights from the EAM system to modify business processes and improve their return on asset investment.

Understanding Budget Constraints

Organizations should evaluate their financial resources and future growth plans while deciding between a CMMS vs. EAM. A CMMS will usually have a lower upfront cost, which may make it appealing to facilities with smaller budgets. However, the advanced features you can use with an EAM may make it more appealing to facilities with ambitious growth objectives.

Choosing between a CMMS and EAM software solution isn’t as simple as choosing the option with the lower cost. Budget flexibility is also an important consideration. Organizations with stricter budgets may need a CMMS’s more predictable pricing structure. Organizations with more flexible budgets may have more leeway to invest in an EAM if it better supports their goals.

Optimizing Maintenance Operations with ServiceChannel

Contact ServiceChannel and set up a demo to see how CMMS and enterprise asset management systems can transform your organization’s maintenance operations with multi-site support and asset tracking across the entire asset life cycle. 

We offer cloud-based subscriptions to enable maintenance teams to monitor and manage asset performance and maintenance tasks remotely across multiple locations.