computerized maintenance management system (CMMS)

A computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) is software that helps an organization track the status of maintenance tasks, such as equipment repairs. It also tracks the location of replacement parts or subassemblies, which are generally located in a company's service depot or warehouse. A CMMS can be deployed on-premises or as a web-based CMMS service hosted by an outside vendor.

An important goal of a CMMS is to maintain a database of information that operations and management (O&M) teams require to do their jobs, while also increasing the efficiency of O&M staff. The system provides insight into the maintenance processes an organization runs and tracks the status of those processes. A CMMS can also help an organization make financial decisions, such as whether fixing a piece of equipment is more cost-effective than purchasing a new one. For example, it may be more cost-effective to replace a storage area network switch rather than invest in the parts needed to ensure its prompt repair. A CMMS can document the location of of a replacement switch and document the procedures for replacing it. 

A CMMS can schedule automated equipment maintenance for hardware used in servers using business rules that are pre-set by an administrator. For example, a CMMS can track when it's time to perform routine maintenance procedures such as local disk checking or cleaning airflow openings and generate service requests for technicians to address. In some high-end CMMS, error messages or alerts generated from sensors can automatically set up service requests through the CMMS.