Finance firm digs into space intelligence to create a smarter hybrid workplace

Before 2011, space data lived in AutoCAD files and spreadsheets. While workable in the past, this approach made it difficult to keep information current as teams moved, space was renovated or business needs shifted.

The organization also operated under a full cost recovery model, meaning space had to be carefully measured, categorized and charged back to internal teams. As hybrid work and more agile environments began to emerge, the complexity increased even further.

The CRE team needed a dynamic system that could:

• Reflect real-time space changes
• Support a highly detailed organizational hierarchy
• Evolve alongside new workplace models

The organization turned to OpenBlue Workplace to centralize and modernize how space was managed across the portfolio.

With interactive graphic views and a robust hierarchy, the team could map space down to a granular level—while making data far more accessible and understandable to stakeholders.

“The ability to use things like graphic views to display [data] in a way that was more digestible to the business to understand the way we were looking at the space was helpful,” the director said.

As hybrid work expanded, the team used configurable zones, custom fields and tables to model agile seating, neighborhoods and varying sharing ratios across business groups. OpenBlue Workplace also became a key integration point with physical security systems, allowing attendance and utilization data to be analyzed in secure, access-controlled areas.

“The flexibility of the tool has been a big factor for us in continual usability,” she noted.

Today, OpenBlue Workplace is a core operational system supporting real estate, security and workplace teams. The space data it provides even informs design and renovations as well as event planning.

Instead of relying on static PDFs and spreadsheets that quickly become outdated, teams now work from a single, trusted source of truth.

“We're constantly updating as renovation projects and capital improvements are happening in the buildings,” the director said. “We're updating that information regularly so they can rely on it to be a pretty accurate picture of what a space looks like at any given time."

Built to Evolve

Supporting the future of work—whatever it looks like

With more than 90% of employees now working in a hybrid model, the organization continues to rethink how space is designed and used. OpenBlue Workplace has enabled them to reclassify space standards, validate data visually and complete portfolio-wide transformations far more efficiently than before.

“Some of these views and configurations are useful for a time—and then it’s time to change them,” the leader said. “The confidence comes from knowing we can adapt without starting over.”

Beyond the flexibility and scalability of OpenBlue, the organization cites its ongoing partnership with Johnson Controls as a key to their success. Regular training, user communities and responsive support have helped the team deepen their expertise and continue expanding what’s possible in every space.

This leading international financial services organization provides life insurance, health coverage, wealth solutions and asset management services to individual and institutional clients worldwide. Headquartered in North America, the organization operates across multiple global markets and manages more than $1 trillion in assets through a broad portfolio of financial products and services.

With a strong focus on purpose-driven growth, the organization is committed to helping clients achieve long-term financial security and healthier lives while operating responsibly and sustainably. Its approach emphasizes transparency, innovation and adaptability across both its business and corporate operations.

As part of this commitment, the organization continually evaluates how its physical workplaces support employees, evolving work models and environmental goals, making workplace strategy and real estate optimization an important enabler of its broader mission.