Multifamily technology vendors are cognizant of that shift as well and might be able to twist the single-source versus best-of-breed argument in their favor as more firms see technology playing into marketing and other core business strategies. “I think integration is a word that was introduced to the multifamily industry loaded with promise, and the reality is that operators are finding that, in practice, integration has become riddled with inefficiency,” says AppFolio’s Donahoo. “The executive wants access to data, but the ability to present that data is extremely difficult with integrated systems.” Setser agrees, and while Yardi remains firmly committed to working with clients who opt for best-of-breed solutions, the truth is that the firm would rather just keep you in the fold, whether you buy into its philosophy or not. “There remains tremendous opportunity for front-office functions such as marketing and leasing apartments, resident services, and maintenance tasks and executive tasks such as business intelligence and approvals to become fully mobile-enabled,” Setser says. “We are working on mobile access options and will be providing iPad and handheld device access for both RENTCafé and Voyager. Prospects will be able to search and apply for apartments online; residents can pay rent and enter work requests; maintenance workers can fulfill work orders; managers can approve payables; and executives will be able to review their key performance indicators all on their iPads, iPhones, Droids, and BlackBerrys.”
Whether Yardi gets there before anyone else remains to be seen, but its vision is one that’s broadly shared by many vendors and apartment owners alike. Whether single-sourced or integrated, self-hosted or pitched to the cloud, multifamily technology looks like it’s about to get smaller and is reaching toward a not-so-distant future where the progressive apartment executive can run an entire IT enterprise right from the palm of his hand.
