No one doubts the value of good data. It can transform enterprises, informing their marketing, their procurement, their production techniques – in fact, their entire strategic direction.

But in the corporate real estate (CRE) sphere, the potential of management data is possibly less appreciated than it should be. Yes, finance departments appreciate the value of market data, and of data like cost per square metre and cost of occupancy. But in many instances the management and operational data they track does not reflect changes in the way people work. Businesses are missing opportunities to improve performance.

In 2011, Regus published a report by two highly-respected academics, Barry Varcoe and Martha O’Meara, on how best CRE practice correlates to company success. The report analysed 40 Global Fortune 500 companies, with a total operational portfolio size of 221 million gross square metres.

One key finding of the report is the correlation between company performance and CRE data. The authors found that a well-developed operational and management data practice correlates positively to return on assets (RoA) and return on equity (RoE :) a 25% improvement in management information practice relates to an addition of 0.82% to an organisation’s RoA, and of 1.77% to its RoE.