IBS Activity Signals Increased Confidence for Real Estate Firms

Uptick in Technology Investment Focused on New Tools for Profitability

Stepped up activity through the first half of 2011 at Integrated Business Systems (IBS) reflects increasing confidence among commercial and residential real estate companies in the New York/New Jersey region. The property management and accounting systems provider, based in Totowa, has seen a notable uptick in upgrades and installations for existing clients as well as new customers.

"We see this as good news for the economically hard-hit industry we serve," noted Mike Mullin, IBS president. "Through the last few, difficult years, our clients focused on making the best possible use of their existing technology, but most were not in a position to make significant new investments. This kept them on the sidelines in terms of making large-scale commitments, but they are beginning to open the floodgates a bit. Since January, we have seen a real change."

The IBS system is used by more than 100 commercial and residential real estate owners, developers and property managers. Its software - written by real estate development, management and accounting professionals over the past 31 years - addresses virtually every property management, accounting and construction management task.

"While the real estate industry came to a standstill, technology continued to advance with products and solutions that offer enhanced efficiency and functionality," Mullin added. "With tighter credit conditions making it harder for real estate owners to make money by doing deals, our clients are highly receptive to new tools that can make their day-to-day operations more profitable." This includes applications that can deliver reports to mobile platforms like tablet computers and smart phones, and services that enable clients to tap into their systems via the Internet.

Mullin noted that business also has picked up dramatically in IBS' network services department, which supplies consulting, installation and support for computer and networking technologies. "I think people got through last fall, saw that things were getting better and budgeted to do some technology replacement," he said. "The hardware side of the business is doing very well."

IBS expects continued growth through 2011, according to Mullin. The firm has increased its 45-person staff with four recent hires and expects to add several more positions in the coming months. IBS has ramped up operationally as well. Last fall, the company relocated to its new headquarters in Totowa. Since then, it has introduced new measures for its own operational efficiency, including a new help desk ticketing system.

The IBS system today features the fully browser-based IBS 10.0i product. It can be run as an Intranet within a firewall and corporate network, or over the Internet via an Application Service Provider (ASP) model. The IBS system is scalable and customizable for private and public enterprises of any size, from just a few IBS users to hundreds of operators.