CMDBuild Newsletter nr. 101

On December 15th, 2023, we released CMDBuild 3.4.3 version, enriched with a series of new features and significant improvements. Among the various updates, we would like to highlight:

• Compatibility with PostgreSQL 15: The latest version is now compatible with PostgreSQL 15, while maintaining compatibility with PostgreSQL version 12, which will reach end-of-life in November 2024.
• Multitenant scheduler management: We have extended tenant management beyond data, incorporating it into the scheduler management functionality.
• Multiple Viewing of BIM Models: It is now possible to simultaneously view multiple models linked to a BIM project.
• Enhancements to the Notification System: We have optimized the notification system, making it more efficient and introducing the persistence of mobile notifications.
• Improvements to the Data Management and Administration Modules: Various improvements have been made to both the Data Management and Administration Modules, to ensure an even smoother and more intuitive user experience.
• Thai Language Support: CMDBuild now supports the Thai language, expanding its global presence and bringing the total number of supported languages to 34.

To discover all the new features in detail, we have scheduled a webinar where we will thoroughly present the features of 3.4.3 version. For further details, please refer to the latest article of this newsletter.

Meanwhile, our Development Team is working on multiple fronts. Alongside the refinement of version 3.4.4, which will include minor improvements and bug fixes, we are focusing our efforts on CMDBuild 4 version. As anticipated in our previous newsletters, version 4 will introduce new and ambitious features.

For upcoming releases, in addition to the previously anticipated features, we are currently conducting studies and tests on the integration of generative Artificial Intelligence into our products: CMDBuild, CMDBuild READY2USE, and openMAINT. Exploring the potential of AI within our products opens new horizons, with multiple applications that could transform the management of business resources.

Some potential applications of Artificial Intelligence in our products include:

Predictive Analysis for Configuration Management:
Artificial Intelligence can be employed to analyze historical data within CMDBuild, anticipating possible issues or changes in configurations. This predictive analysis translates into fault prevention, resource optimization, and improved configuration management.

Decision Support:
The use of machine learning algorithms in CMDBuild provides fundamental information for decision-making processes, such as capacity planning and resource optimization.

Impact Analysis in CMDBuild:
The introduction of AI-based impact analysis promises substantial improvements in configuration management and the evaluation of the effects of changes.

Predictive Maintenance:
The use of AI in openMAINT for analyzing historical maintenance data enables the prediction of when equipment or facilities will require maintenance. This approach allows for proactive planning, reducing downtime, and extending the lifespan of equipment.

Report Generation:
Translating complex information into business languages, AI facilitates the generation of clear and understandable reports, simplifying the analysis process and making data accessible to a wider audience.

The integration of AI into our products aims to anticipate future needs and optimize resources, enabling organizations to adapt quickly, reduce costs, and enhance overall operations.

Located in Northern Uganda, in one of the poorest regions of the world, St. Mary's Hospital Lacor is one of the largest non-governmental hospitals in equatorial Africa. A facility capable of providing over 200,000 healthcare services annually. 80% of the patients are women and children, the most affected by poverty and malnutrition. Born as a small missionary hospital in 1959, in over 60 years of operation, thanks to the visionary management of Piero and Lucille Corti, and later passed on to entirely local leadership, Lacor Hospital is now a reference point not only for over 750,000 residents of the surrounding districts but also for the entire Northern Uganda and neighboring countries.

Lacor provides specialized care in medicine, surgery, pediatrics, and obstetrics-gynecology to thousands of patients on a daily basis. On average, each day, it assists 600 people on an outpatient and inpatient basis. It has 554 beds (including those located in the 3 Peripheral Health Centers, located over 50 km from the hospital). Lacor Hospital's mission is to ensure medical care and assistance to the most vulnerable without discrimination based on gender, race, social status, religion, or political affiliation. The hospital's annual budget (over 6 million Euros) is largely covered by foreign donations and the Corti Foundation. A portion also comes from those patients who can afford to contribute to expenses with a mostly symbolic or highly subsidized amount.

In support of healthcare activities, Lacor Hospital has developed a Technical Department (65 employees) that internally carries out all activities to ensure the proper functioning of facilities and networks, from building construction to vehicle and medical equipment maintenance, to the management of the electrical network and water supply.

Asset management, especially of medical equipment, is one of the most complex challenges for the Technical Department, as until recently, the hospital did not have a specific tool to maintain an updated inventory and facilitate the management of preventive and corrective maintenance interventions. In early 2023, the Department, supported by the hospital management, decided to improve the service through the acquisition of a software that could meet the requirements, especially regarding the most important area, namely the maintenance of medical equipment. The choice fell on the openMAINT software, based on considerations of an economic nature, as it is an open-source software, and based on the ability to customize the system according to the specific needs of the hospital.

Thanks to the joint work of hospital technicians - especially the biomedical engineering group, assisted by Fabio Bradach, a biomedical technician who has been supporting Lacor Hospital as a volunteer for years - and the work of Tecnoteca, and the generosity of donors supporting the hospital, openMAINT has been in production at Lacor Hospital since September 2023. It now allows managing all maintenance processes related to biomedical equipment. In particular, it has allowed the introduction of preventive maintenance processes, which were previously fundamentally impractical. This significant step is expected to gradually reduce the occurrence of failures, offering better service and also reducing the cost associated with maintenance activities.

In the future, the Technical Department aims to expand the coverage of the system to all other hospital machinery, to further improve the service offered internally in support of all Lacor's complex activities.

Dr. Jacopo Barbieri - Head of the Technical Department

We have scheduled the presentation webinar of the new CMDBuild 3.4.3 version for Thursday 29th February, at 16.00 CET. It is already possible to register to the event.
The recordings of the webinars already held remain available to interested people, here you can find the links to access.