Over the past decade, much of the work in computing has been directed at improving the ability of computer systems to collect, transmit, process, and interpret huge data sets. Deep learning and the Internet of Things are only the latest in a series of advances that enable the “unreasonable effectiveness of data.” The promise of these approaches is to produce insight and understanding about the world—from billions or trillions of tiny pieces of information.

The real estate industry stands to benefit more than most from the quickly advancing ability to collect and interpret larger data sets. In 2009, the entire world wide web was only 0.5 zetabyte. In 2010 that increased to 1.2 zetabytes and grew tenfold to over 10.7 zetabytes by 2016.

Every day, billions of people move through the thoughtfully designed and engineered spaces of their offices. And yet, far too many workplace professionals who are tasked with creating the best possible work environments are “flying blind” with only a hazy idea of how the spaces they manage are used. Are people actually using the new wellness room? Is it increasing productivity and satisfaction or simply draining resources? And, perhaps most importantly, are people comfortable, or are they opting out of the office to work remotely from someplace that better meets their needs?

All of these questions involve people. Unfortunately, traditional building technologies primarily focus on measuring the operational performance of individual pieces of equipment, and have a limited ability to address ever-changing human needs. This is where Comfy really shines—we combine data about the building with real-time data from people to reveal truly insightful information. Over the last three years, we've proudly shared Comfy's trends and usage patterns to drive the conversation for more people-centered workplaces. What we kept hearing from clients over and over again was, "Give me more! Tell me more about my office."

That’s why we built Comfy Insights, a brand new tool to give workplace managers a multi-layered perspective of how employees engage with their office. Comfy Insights is more than just a reporting tool or metrics dashboard. Because it’s powered by data from real-time interactions with the occupant-facing Comfy app, our analytics come directly from people and are based on how people actually interact with their spaces. We layer this on top of data about the building's operational performance to provide a robust understanding of how space is being used—and how to make it better.

By enabling workplace professionals to better understand people’s patterns and preferences in the office, Comfy Insights arms them with tools to create better workplace experiences and drive business value for the entire organization. Comfy Insights can help provide strategic direction for corporate real estate decisions, detect and resolve building issues, and save energy...all while increasing employee satisfaction and productivity.

People should have greater choice about where, how, and when they work. They should have the agency to personalize their workplaces by informing and controlling the systems that support them. The future workplace will leverage advanced technology to understand, predict, and accommodate employees' preferences. All the while, delivering powerful insights to the people responsible for creating quality workplaces.

At Comfy, it’s our vision to be the technology platform that enables this exciting and dynamic workplace of the future. Temperature, folks, was just the beginning.