When I set up my business 30 years ago, I couldn’t have imagined how much asset management and technology would change.
Back then, most housing providers were juggling clipboards, filing cabinets and a growing number of spreadsheets. Data was patchy, systems were fragmented and decisions often relied on instinct as much as evidence. The idea that we could build software to help housing providers manage their homes more systematically felt ambitious, even a little risky.
Three decades on, I’ve had a front-row seat to watch the evolution of asset management in housing, from spreadsheets to AI and from desktop PCs to the cloud. Looking back, it’s been a journey shaped as much by the pressures on the housing sector as by the pace of technological change.
The early days – Spreadsheets and bespoke systems
In the early 1990s, the housing sector was only just beginning to digitise. Stock-condition surveys were carried out on paper, typed up later and analysed, if at all, through basic Excel spreadsheets.
In the early days, our first task was often to convince housing providers that dedicated software could do more than Excel but it wasn’t easy. Spreadsheets were familiar, cheap and ‘good enough’ for many people, but they couldn’t handle the growing complexity of asset data.
Our early systems were clunky by today’s standards, installed on single desktops, with interfaces that now look prehistoric. But for many housing providers, they represented the first step toward a centralised, reliable way of managing their housing stock. I remember the feeling when a client first told us, “For the first time, I know exactly how many properties have a gas certificate.” It sounds simple now but it was revolutionary then.
The 2000s – Growth, compliance & integration
As the 2000s progressed, the sector’s focus shifted. Regulatory expectations increased and compliance became a central driver. Suddenly, being able to prove that every property had up-to-date safety checks wasn’t just best practice, it was a requirement.
This was the decade where asset management systems really found their footing. Our company grew as housing providers and local councils recognised that spreadsheets weren’t enough. They needed proper audit trails, reliable reports and structured data.
Integration was also becoming important. Finance teams wanted to see the same numbers as asset managers. Repairs teams wanted planned maintenance aligned with responsive works. We began developing ways to connect our software to housing management and finance systems. At the time, this was complicated but it was the start of a larger shift towards joined-up data.
Looking back, I can see how sector pressures shaped the technology; compliance and regulation drove adoption far more than efficiency arguments ever did.
The 2010s – Mobile and the cloud
The 2010s were transformative. Broadband, mobile devices and cloud computing changed the game completely.
Surveyors were suddenly able to capture data on tablets instead of paper forms, so no more double entry and no more weeks lost typing up survey results. For many of our clients, this was the first taste of real-time data and it was a game-changer.
At the same time, moving systems into the cloud removed the need for servers in basements and local IT teams spending their weekends on updates. Suddenly, asset management data was available anywhere, anytime to anyone with the right permissions.
But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. We learned a lot about change management during this period. Too often, systems were bought as ‘silver bullets’ but failed to deliver because staff weren’t properly trained or because data quality was poor. We came to realise that success depended as much on people and processes as on software design.
The 2020s – From data to insights
Fast forward to today and asset management software has matured into something far more powerful. It’s no longer just about storing data, it’s about turning data into insights.
Our clients now expect systems that:
- Model investment scenarios years into the future.
- Track and evidence compliance at board level.
- Support retrofit planning for net zero.
- Integrate with IoT devices to enable predictive maintenance.
These are things we could only have dreamed of when I set up PIMSS. Yet here we are, with the sector asking not just, “What do we know about our stock?” but “What should we do next?”
I often think about how the focus has shifted over the years, from efficiency to compliance and onwards to sustainability. Each decade has brought its own priorities, and the technology has had to evolve to meet them.
Lessons learned along the way
30 years in this field has taught us a few lessons:
- Data quality is everything – A shiny system with poor data is worse than useless.
- People matter more than features – Adoption succeeds when the staff understand why they’re using the system, not just how.
- Technology follows pressure – Regulation, funding constraints and tenants’ expectations have always driven innovation more than the technology itself.
- Keep it simple – The best systems aren’t those with the most features but those that people actually use.
Looking ahead – Smarter, simpler & more connected
Where next? If the past 30 years are anything to go by, the next ten will be even faster paced. I see a few clear trends:
- Artificial intelligence helping housing providers to identify risks, such as predicting where damp and mould might emerge before it becomes a problem.
- User-friendly design becoming a baseline expectation, with staff expecting systems to be as intuitive as the apps on their phones.
- Seamless data flow across housing, finance and compliance functions, breaking down silos once and for all.
- Tenant visibility, with residents increasingly being able to access relevant property data directly, supporting transparency and trust.
Final reflections
When I started my company 30 years ago, asset management software was a niche idea. Today, it’s an essential part of the responsible running of any housing provider.
Looking back, we can be proud of what we’ve achieved. Looking forward, there are exciting times ahead because, if there’s one thing that the last 30 years has proved, the evolution of asset management software is far from finished.
I’ve seen the journey from clipboards to cloud dashboards, from reactive record-keeping to predictive insights. What hasn’t changed is the purpose – helping housing providers make better decisions and, ultimately, improving the lives of their tenants.
Martin McDonnell is the managing director of PIMSS Data Systems.
