Commercial real estate owners have traditionally approached technology by bringing in vendors, reviewing their roadmaps, and signing contracts, often resulting in systems that fail to meet actual property needs years later. According to Bill Douglas, CEO of OpticWise, this passive approach is a primary reason the industry lags behind other major asset classes in digital maturity.
Douglas argues that owners who write the checks should set the strategic direction, with vendors responding to their needs rather than defining them. While acknowledging that vendors provide valuable insights from working across multiple properties, he emphasizes that sharing best practices differs fundamentally from outsourcing strategic direction. The shift OpticWise advocates positions vendors as problem-solvers rather than problem-definers.
A deeper issue involves data dependency, where owners who don't control their own data and digital infrastructure become locked into vendor ecosystems. When operational data resides in a vendor's cloud, owners can only access what the vendor chooses to show them, preventing independent analysis or data portability if relationships end. OpticWise addresses this by designing and operating owner-controlled infrastructures, enabling owners to switch vendors, compare performance across portfolios, and retain data with assets rather than contracts.
This approach proves particularly valuable during property sales, management transitions, or asset repositioning, where owners with controlled data infrastructures navigate changes efficiently. In contrast, buildings with siloed vendor relationships scatter information across multiple platforms, leaving owners dependent on vendors when systems need modification. For multi-asset portfolios, this lack of consistent data prevents performance benchmarking, outlier identification, and confident capital allocation decisions.
Douglas recommends owners ask three critical questions before vendor renewals or technology purchases: whether they have a written digital strategy for their property or portfolio, whether they own and control the data their building generates, and whether they're telling vendors what they need or asking what they offer. Most owners struggle to answer these questions confidently, which is why OpticWise offers the Peak Property Performance (PPP) DDI Review to clarify data control, vendor relationships, and potential financial leaks.
By taking control of their data and digital infrastructure, commercial real estate owners can transform vendor relationships from dependencies into strategic partnerships, ultimately gaining the leverage and visibility needed to manage their portfolios effectively. This shift represents a fundamental change in how the industry approaches technology, moving from passive acceptance to active leadership in digital strategy.
